Oresama Medieval!
by The Dwelling Darkness
Summary: Medieval Ages AU! Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki was the first female knight the city of Higashi had seen, until she was stripped of her position following an incident. Sent to the capital city, Midori ga Oka, to train as a Lady instead of a Knight, she decided to begin anew. However, with a companion like Squire Hayasaka and a tutor like Advisor Saeki, she's going to find it a little hard.
1. Chapter 1: An Unlucky Meeting

Oresama Medieval!

**Hello. This is my second fanfic, an AU on Oresama Teacher! based in the medieval ages! I hope you enjoy it...**

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**Chapter One: An Unlucky Meeting**

The Town of Midori ga Oka: a bustling, rich town nestled in a mountainous area, the capital of the country and the house of the Royal Family. The Palace of Midori ga Oka, commonly known as the Palace, is a large and hospitable place. Many people from other cities flock to the Palace to seek a job or training as it is open to anyone. The Palace doesn't care if you have a horrible history; so many outcasts come here to become 'better people'. Many of its workers live on its grounds, but many also live in the surrounding area of the capital. There are two main training courses the Palace holds: the Knighthood course (where young boys learn how to become knights by learning as squires) and the Ladyship course (where young girls learn how to become proper ladies of the court).

Due to certain…circumstances…a young girl named Mafuyu Kurosaki has found her way to this city of salvation.

Mafuyu carefully spooned out a cup of soup from the pot on the fire. _Dear mother, _she thought. _Don't worry about me. For the first time in my life, I'm actually living alone and cooking for myself. I'm doing fine here. _She slurped up a spoonful of the brown broth and clutched the table, forcing herself to swallow the stuff. _Disgusting! _She gulped down a glass of water. _What happened? I followed the recipe down to the last detail!_ She grabbed the recipe book and skimmed her eyes over the page. _I added carrots, tomatoes, garlic, water, salt…._

She pursed her lips, looking around her. If she had done everything according to the method, then why were there a bag of yeast, a basket of eggs and a jug of milk lying on her counter? Hurriedly flipping over to the next page, she saw she had used half of the soup recipe and half of a cake recipe. _How had I not realised? _She berated herself. After staring at the slop she called food, she decided it was time she bought something instead. As she opened the door to her small medieval home, her eyes wandered over her new uniform. She fingered the beautiful, light brown gown with its red embroidery along the corset…the white fleecy sleeves and collar…the full black leggings and dainty, leather shoes…. Before she knew what she was doing, she had already dressed herself in the Palace's uniform for Ladyship students.

_One day is okay. Sure, training starts tomorrow, so me wearing it one day earlier is fine!_ She smiled and tied her coin purse to her waist, under a few frills, before leaving for the marketplace. After visiting many stalls, her hands carried a cloth bag full of pastries and salted meat. This would last her for the next day, she thought. Her coin purse was considerably lighter as well. Just as she was walking past an alley, she heard voices- Angry, threatening voices. Instinctively, she ducked under a cart.

'Hey, you want to get roughed up, huh?' a man in dirty clothes spat, looking at his companion for backup.

'Yeah,' his friend sneered, pushing the person they were talking to. Mafuyu's eyes widened. The victim was a tall man, older than her but not by much, wearing a long, black coat. His dark, dishevelled hair fell into his face, covering his sharp and handsome features. His mouth twisted into a wry grin.

'What's with that attitude?' a third man shouted, stepping forward into her view.

Mafuyu's body tensed. She had to do something. _No!_ Her mind shouted. _I can't….!_

Because only just a month ago…

* * *

'Watch your behaviour,' the girl in the scratched armour scowled as the knight fell to the ground.

'You're…a female knight? You must be kidding me!' the knight hissed.

He was silenced when she punched him in the face with her metal glove. He curled up on the ground, clutching his broken nose. 'So what if I'm a girl?' she sneered.

'Kiss her boots!' a squire yelled. 'Dame Kurosaki!' the other squires cheered. One of them came up to her, shaking her hand. 'You have unified all the squires and knights under your command! Higashi's first female knight – a true terror to all!'

'We must hold a grand feast,' a black haired knight announced. 'To celebrate the reign of Dame Kurosaki!'

'Don't go doing unnecessary things!' the female knight yelled, but it was too late.

'As you are now the leader of all the knights in the city of Higashi, let's have fun!'

Everyone cheered, glasses clinking together and sounds of feasting filling the town square. Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki was caught up in the fun, enjoying the party her squires and knights held in her glory, until…

'What is the meaning of this?'

Everyone fell silent...then ran away screaming. 'It's the General of the Higashi army! Run!'

Before Dame Mafuyu could even lift a finger, the face of the General appeared before her. 'Rallying my men to follow you in your absurd adventures? Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki…' his moustache quivered, his eyes glinting with rage. 'These squires, these knights, they are under _my_ command. And this one!' he pointed to the man on the floor. 'How dare you injure him?'

'He was bullying my squires…' she argued but the General held up his hand.

'Don't speak back to me! You are only sixteen, aren't you? I don't know how you became a knight in the first place, Kurosaki. I don't know how you won that tournament, or how you're so goddamn strong. But after causing this much trouble, I think that should change. A girl like you should learn to act like a lady, not dirty yourself in military affairs!'

He proved to be quiet troublesome.

'You were stripped of your position?' her mother's screeching hurt her head. 'What were you thinking? Even after I let you become a knight, even after I overlooked your actions for mischief!'

'I apologise!' Mafuyu cried. Her mother's eye twitched.

'Fine, but now instead of becoming a rowdy knight, you're going to start over again,' she folded her arms.

'Uh…sorry?'

'Pack your stuff. You're moving to the capital, Midori ga Oka. I hear the Palace has training sessions for knights and ladies, and the tutors are people who were in hold high positions in the Royal Court – Advisors, Nobles, Knights and such. The people there accept those who have been shamed and don't care about your past. Now, you will become a _lady._ No more of this knight business!'

'I…I'd have to live alone!' Mafuyu complained. 'And train to be a lady? You're not serious?'

It turns out, her mother was serious. Very serious. And if Mafuyu were to shame herself again, her mother would disown her and she would be put in an orphanage. It turned out she would share some of her theoretical classes with the squires as well, meaning that subjects like History and Mathematics would be co-ed. Specialised classes, such as sword fighting for boys and embroidery for girls, would be separate, of course. And so began Mafuyu Kurosaki's journey from a shamed Dame to a respectable Lady.

* * *

She placed her shopping on the ground. She couldn't leave the man alone three-to-one, but she couldn't fight them in case she got into trouble. She was wearing a Palace uniform, after all. She didn't even know who was 'bad' and 'good' in this fight. The dark haired man might have committed some crime and she'd be helping him.

_Click._

Her head tiled. Click? Her eyes widened as she saw what was in the hands of one of the men: a small knife that clinked as he tapped it against its sheath.

Her vision turned red. The man's head flung backward as her foot came into contact with his nose. Her skirt billowed upward but she was wearing black stockings underneath, so thankfully nothing was revealed.

'Using a knife in a three-to-one fight,' her voice growled, her eyes fearsome. 'Where's your honour?'

The men upon closer inspection were in fact younger than she had thought. They turned on their heels and fled after watching that one move, dragging their companion with them.

'Kids…' she muttered, and then she froze. _Oh dear…I did it…_

She turned around, biting her lip. She didn't know what to say. Curtsying and extending a hand for the man to kiss seemed too ladylike after the actions she had just displayed. The man she had defended was standing in front of her, his eyebrows raised. Of course he was surprised; she had just appeared in front of him and fought his fight! 'Excuse me!' she grabbed her shopping and went to move away but he grabbed her collar.

'You…' he arm wrapped around her in an effort to stop her. 'What are you doing here?'

_His arm…_ Mafuyu went red, squirming out of his grasp. Her heartbeat quickened. 'What is this?' she muttered. 'My heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest!'

The man smirked. 'What a reaction. Are you falling in love with me?'

Mafuyu scrabbled at the man's arm. 'What nonsense are you spouting? You just invaded my personal space, that's all! You aren't even my type of guy!'

'Oh?' he said. 'Then who is?'

'There was a boy who was my neighbour when I was a kid!' Mafuyu pointed at him, remembering. 'He was kind, and that's how every adult should be like!'

The man's expression turned sympathetic, but then he smiled. 'You saved me, thank you.'

His praise made her feel slightly embarrassed, and she looked away, recalling her days as a knight. 'No… You would have been fine on your own.'

'No, I'm serious.' He looked at her clothes. 'You're wearing a Palace Lady uniform. Do you have an appointment this late at night?'

'Ah, no. My first day of training is tomorrow.'

'I see,' he began walking. Mafuyu walked beside him. 'Hey, why are you following me?'

'My house is this way!' she said. 'Strawberry Street! A weird name for a street in Midori ga Oka, I think. It's rather cute, though.'

'Strawberry Street? I see…' he mused.

Mafuyu squeezed the bag in her hands. 'What was that fight about?'

The man shrugged. 'I'm easily bullied.'

_Yeah, right!_ Mafuyu thought. She stared at him, trying to gauge his age. Middle aged? No. Early twenties? Maybe… She groaned. She wasn't good at this!

'Say, what's your name?' she asked suddenly.

He raised an eyebrow. 'Takaomi…'

'Takaomi?' Mafuyu repeated just as Takaomi extracted a pipe from his coat. Without thinking, she snatched it out of his grasp.

'Hey!' he shouted, but Mafuyu wasn't listening.

'You idiot! Don't you know what tobacco does to young people? Your lungs will shrink and turn pitch black! You will die a slow, painful death!'

Takaomi stared…then burst out in peals of laughter.

'What?' Mafuyu blushed. 'I'm not stupid!'

'No,' Takaomi gasped, wiping his eyes and taking his pipe back from the girl's trembling hands. 'Hey, what's your name?'

'Why would I tell you?' she snapped.

His gaze softened, he was silent. Then all of a sudden he stood up and grabbed Mafuyu's shoulder, pulling her close to him. _What is he doing?_ She scrunched her eyes close. _He smells…nice…_

'Mafuyu Kurosaki,' he muttered, reading the name she had scribbled in the collar of her dress.

'Hey!' she yelled. _I can feel his breath…_ 'Why did you check in such a weird way?' she screeched, her face feeling hot. She tried pushing him off, but he was surprisingly strong. _Get away from me!_

'If I remember correctly, you're a transferred student, right? You're not from around here…' he moved back, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He really reminded her of a criminal. 'You were in a fight just now,' he grinned. 'It would be troublesome if a Royal _lady_ was found causing trouble. Wouldn't you be kicked out of the Palace?'

She swallowed. 'What…?'

He pointed to her bag of goods. 'Alright, give me your food…as _hush money_.'

She clutched the cloth bag. 'But this is my dinner, and breakfast!'

'Fine then, I'll tell,' he smiled sweetly. She shoved the bag into his hands.

_This man…I saved him and this is how he repays me!_ Her fist clenched. _Wait, if I knock him out, I can escape. Then I won't be exposed!_ She swung her fist at him, only to have him grab it. He pulled her closer to him. Her face flared.

'Harassment!'

* * *

She stumbled through her door, her mood sour and her stomach growling. Her foot hit something and she tripped. Her reflexes made sure she landed on her hands, and she flipped back into a standing position. What had dared to make her fall?

It was a cloth bound package at her doorstep. Her face lit up. _Has my mother sent me my allowance? So I can buy food! _She kneeled down beside it. "_From your followers"_ was scribbled on the material. She had half the mind to throw it, her ire sparked once more, but curiosity got the better of her. There was a note. She opened it and read through it.

_Dear Dame Mafuyu, how are you? We know you're not a Dame anymore, but to us, you will always be our knight in shining armour! _She smiled. _Nowadays, we try not to fight for no reason, after Lady Kurosaki – your scary mother – lectured us. We left you alone to face the General, and we are truly sorry for our cowardice. But your legend lives on in our hearts, and we wish for you to enjoy your life to the fullest! P.S. We got a small gift for you. Everyone pitched in to buy it, so please use it and carry our friendship with you!_

Mafuyu rummaged through the packaging cloth to find a beautifully embroidered wallet. The red silk matched her gown's design and the gold chain attached to it could be used to tie it to her corset. She didn't want it to be seen, so she hid in as best she could in her ruffles. The fearsome emblem of a dragon blazed on its front. The chain jingled at her touch. It was heavenly music to her ears.

It was an eastern product that Mafuyu had seen only in tapestries. It must have costed them a fortune! It symbolised honour, bravery…and the will to fight.

_This temptation…_she thought as she hooked the chain to her belt and felt the silk. She slipped the wallet into her pocket. _What's the harm if I wear this? It's not like anyone will find out!_

* * *

The girl pranced in through the open palace gates, humming and skipping, the frills on her skirt ruffling in the wind. The guards smiled watching her happiness as she frolicked past the other squires and knights, past a particularly grumpy looking squire. He squinted at her, annoyed. But wait…was that a dragon wallet at her waist?

She twirled passed him and…tripped, falling flat on her face. A nearby lady squealed. 'Ah! Squire Hayasaka is fighting again!'

The grumpy squire held up his hands. 'No, I'm not!'

* * *

A kind knight escorted Mafuyu into the palace. 'Are you okay?'

Mafuyu frowned. 'I'm fine.' _I'm hungry. No dinner, or breakfast…it's entirely his fault! The next time I see him, I'll…_ 'When I find him and his weakness, I'll threaten him! I'll make him pay!'

The knight flinched under her gathering dark aura, wondering just how much training this grumbling lady was going to need. Suddenly, a man appeared in front of them.

'Oh, Advisor Saeki!'

_Saeki? That's the name of my mathematics tutor_…

Mafuyu looked up, curtsying automatically and extending a hand. 'How do you do? I'm-'

The blood froze in her veins. Her breath hitched. Her vision blurred.

A man with sharp, handsome features peered down at her, a sly grin playing at his lips. He gently lifted her hand and brushed his lips against it.

'How do you do, Lady Kurosaki?' he purred, his eyes sparkling with mirth. 'I will be your mathematics tutor and morning name caller, Takaomi Saeki, an Advisor to the King. Please treat me well.'

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**Please, if there are any errors or inconsistencies, inform me in your reviews! I will be following the core storyline, however will make my own tiny bits here and there once all the major characters have been introduced (Hayasaka, Okegawa, Natsuo, Usa-chan-man etc). I have finished the next two chapter and only have to edit them. Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2: A Lady Doesn't Fight

**Hello, dear readers. Here is the second chapter, where I introduce another one of Mafuyu's future friends. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter! Disclaimer: I do not own Oresama Teacher! This is merely a fanfic.**

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**Chapter Two: A Lady Doesn't Fight**

'You…' Mafuyu trembled with ire as she stared up at the man who called himself Takaomi Saeki. The knight that had escorted her to the Palace felt the tension in the air and silently slipped away. _This man…he stole my food and now he says he's my mathematics tutor? Stop pulling my leg!_

He smiled, starting to walk away. She ran after him.

'Lady Kurosaki, you really helped me yesterday,' he said. 'An Advisor can't beat up a bunch of kids in public, now can he?'

She glared at him. 'Who were they?'

'Just some kids who liked to pick fights with my students. I wanted to teach them a lesson, so this is my reward!' he was wearing fancily decorated robes and from one of the sleeves, he pulled out three wallets.

'Where did you get these?' Mafuyu gasped.

'I stole them. Now I know their names, and I can report them to the Royal Guard. Bullying the Palace's Royal Students is a crime, after all. Or…' he grinned, an evil glint in his eye. 'I can use them in other ways. I can't fight them, but I have other methods…'

Mafuyu thought it was better she didn't ask what these "other methods" were.

'Advisor Saeki,' she started, but stopped when the man leaned towards her, his face inches from hers.

'_Advisor Saeki_ is so formal. Why don't you call me _Takaomi_, like you did yesterday?' he smirked.

'I…I don't want to call you by that name!' she spluttered. 'You're a horrible man! You even stole food from your student!'

'Hey, tutors are humans too,' he shrugged. 'Outside of Palace grounds, I can do whatever I want, as long as it doesn't ruin my Advisor's position.'

'How did someone like you even become an Advisor?' she screeched. 'I couldn't see you advising anyone to do anything that wasn't evil!'

'I have connections,' he scowled. 'And I make an amazing Advisor and tutor, for your information.' He stared at her. 'Say…quite a few years ago…'

_Grumble…_ Mafuyu flushed and placed a hand on her corset.

'Ha, was that your stomach?' he laughed. 'How embarrassing.'

_It's all your fault, you stupid man! Just watch, I'll attack you when you least expect it. I'll pour ink over your robes; I'll write cuss words on your face; I'll…_

'Take this, as an apology,' he placed a bread roll in her hand. She blinked and looked up at him, her eyes shining. _Hey, maybe he's not so bad…_ she sunk her teeth into the food. 'Oh, but it's been a week since I bought it.'

She instantly spat it out, her murderous intent flaming. She wanted to punch this guy to Hell! _No, I can't. Remember, Mafuyu, you are going to be reborn! Reborn as a lady, not a violent menace. A lady, a lady…_

'What are you chanting in your head?' he raised an eyebrow. A chiming sound filled the air, echoing across the stone walls. 'Come on, class is about to begin.' She glowered, but followed him nonetheless.

* * *

'Hayasaka fought again. First the older squires, now this?'

'I heard this time, it was against a girl.'

'No way! He really laid a hand on a lady?'

'How will he ever become a knight with that attitude?'

The blonde teenage boy dressed in Royal Squire attire sunk back into his chair, his gaze sliding to the gossiping ladies as his fingers drummed on the wooden table. They felt his stare and silenced themselves, looking away. _Stupid rich folk, sending their sons and daughters to become knights and ladies. Isn't there anyone here who is less cowardly? _He gasped, sitting up straight as Advisor Saeki made his way into the room. _This murderous aura…where is it coming from? This intimidating aura…it's making my skin crawl. Just who in heavens…?_

'Class, welcome our new student, Lady Mafuyu Kurosaki from the town of Higashi._'_

A sweet looking girl smiled at them all, her short brown hair bouncing. 'Good morning!' she curtsied.

The class repeated the greeting, and her eyes lit up. _They welcomed me! In Higashi, everyone used to avoid me!_

Takaomi gestured to an empty seat and she nodded, seating herself. Her eyes slid to her left, where the blonde boy sat. She curtsied and extended her hand for him to kiss – as every gentleman should – but he glared at her. 'Huh?'

She snatched her hand back. _Such a disrespectful man, here? A...a delinquent? Isn't he training to be a knight, and yet he refuses to act like a gentleman?_

The boy continued glowering.

_Why is he looking at me with so much hate?_

'Don't worry,' a nearby squire piped up. 'Hayasaka is always like that.'

_Hayasaka. So that's his name?_ Mafuyu would remember it.

* * *

The man in the front of the room droned on about Midori ga Oka's founding. He was some professor, but Mafuyu didn't care. Her eyes were glued to the courtyard clock tower. It was easily seen through the window Hayasaka sat next to. _Twenty five minutes have passed already…why are we still in History?_

'Hey,' she hissed. 'How many minutes does the lesson go for?'

Hayasaka frowned. 'Sixty.'

'And we have...'

'Six lessons in a day.'

Mafuyu picked up a quill, quickly scribbling down the calculation. She wasn't very good at mental mathematics. 'Three…_three hundred minutes?_'

Hayasaka flinched when he heard a scraping sound. Mafuyu was scratching her nails against the wood. _Two hundred and seventy more minutes… How can I endure sitting for that long?_

Baulking, Hayasaka swallowed. He could feel the tension seeping out of her. Her eyes were fixed ahead, the scraping setting his teeth on edge. _So the aura from before was coming from her! This pressure is terrifying! This…this woman is terrifying!_

Mafuyu scraped harder. _My bottom hurts_ she thought. Just then, the bell rang. She made to get up but three girls came up to her desk. They smiled at her, starting a conversation. Mafuyu couldn't stop them; she didn't _want_ to stop them. This was the first time that ladies had ever approached her! As Dame Kurosaki, every lady had avoided her.

'What brings you here?' one asked.

'Um…my mother had to move elsewhere because my grandmother is ill, so I live here with a relative,' Mafuyu lied. She couldn't tell them she was an ex-female knight!

'Oh, I see. Say, I think we should warn you to be careful, seeing you're new,' another said. 'The Palace is known to accept anybody under their wing, meaning those who have bad pasts. Some of these squires take training a little too far, so you best stay weary. I mean, you don't want to hang out with someone who's violent.'

_But that's me!_ Mafuyu thought, but nodded anyway. _Were there so many dangerous people here? _'I see, I'll be careful. And what about you?'

'We just like living in the dorms in the Palace, it makes us feel like fairy-tale princesses!' they giggled.

_Seriously?_

Just then, another man in robes walked in, carrying a thick book. 'Okay, ladies and squires. It's time to learn our country's geography!'

_Oh no! I forgot to get up! My bottom hurts…_ Mafuyu rubbed her hands together. _Oh dear, I need to use the restroom! Should I ask the tutor? No, a lady can't go to the restroom in the middle of class. Or can she? I don't know the customs here!_

Hayasaka had made a decision. He wasn't going to lose to this woman. This woman and her killing intent, her clear intimidation…

_No, I must go, or it isn't good for my health. _Mafuyu decided to stand up on the count of three. _One, two…_

Hayasaka would not give in! She was at her strongest right now. That face hidden in hair…

She looked up, a glint in her eye.

_Three!_

_Clatter._ 'May I go to the restroom?' Hayasaka was on his feet. _I have no courage!_ he sniffed.

_Huh…?_ Mafuyu smiled. _Could it be that he realised I needed to go as well, and got up to escort me?_ 'And I!' she said. _Thank you, my good friend!_

Hayasaka stared at her, horrified. Then he stomped away. She blinked. 'Ah, wait!'

He ran and ran, outside the Palace and into a back courtyard. He hoped he had gotten away from that monster of a lady.

'Hey, Hayasaka!'

He turned around to see a bunch of higher ranked squires smirking at him. 'You bullied my friends the other day. It's time for payback.'

* * *

'Restroom!' Mafuyu gathered her skirt and ran, right before bumping into the last man she would want to meet. 'Advisor Saeki!'

He smiled at her. 'You're companion is in trouble in the back courtyard. You should go help him. Don't worry, that place is quite out of view. You can get some decent fighting practice done there,' he said. 'By the way, after that, the restroom is down the hall, your third door on the left. It's surprisingly clean.' Leaving her dumbstruck, he turned around and walked away.

_Companion? Him? Takaomi…I mean, Advisor Saeki couldn't mean…Hayasaka?_ _In trouble?_ _That could only mean…he was involved in a fight…_

'I can't go!' she yelled at Advisor Saeki's back. 'I'm a lady! Yesterday, I passed by and helped you out of instinct, but that's not me anymore! I don't…' images of people running away from her flashed in her mind, 'I don't have any companions.'

He stopped walking. 'I don't care if you go or not, but I didn't know you were…so _unknightly_.'

She bit her lip. _What's wrong with this guy?_

* * *

She stepped out into the green courtyard at the back of the Palace, and as soon as she turned a corner she saw a familiar blonde boy lying on the ground, his uniform streaked with blood. A bunch of squires gathered around him, kicking him. Mafuyu felt something feral boiling inside her. She rolled up her skirt so that it went over her knees. She tucked it in so it stayed that way.

'Five against one? How dishonourable.'

'Huh?' one of the squires looked up. 'Oh, it's just a little girl-' he never finished the sentence, because Mafuyu's knuckles stopped his mouth. The boys just looked at her, gobsmacked.

'Duelling is only duelling when it's one to one, right?' she whispered. The wind whipped her hair up in a freakish halo around her head. She grinned menacingly. '_Right?_'

_Bam._

* * *

The girl sat on the ground, legs crossed. Her eyes wandered to the body next to her. _I actually did it! _She cried internally. _I snapped out of habit! What kind of lady am I? I am stupid! I'm worse than horse dung!_ She placed a strip of cloth on the unconscious boys' eyes. Then she slapped herself. _It's too late to do that now!_ She froze when she heard mumbling. Hayasaka was getting up!

Hayasaka rubbed his head. 'Ah, what happened?' he looked around him, his mouth dropping when he saw a familiar girl lying on the ground beside him. 'Hey, K…Kurosaki?' he shuffled up to her, picking her up. 'What happened to you? Answer me!'

The girl's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. 'Uhm…I tripped on these fallen guys…'

Hayasaka stared at her. _Seriously? My god, that's weak!_ 'Who did this?' he pointed to the beaten squires. She shrugged, telling him that they were like this when she tripped on them. She seemed to say it fairly forcefully. He looked at her up and down: a petit girl who had messy brown hair, a frilly dress and was easily knocked out by tripping on a body and falling. Before he could stop himself, he burst out laughing.

'Hey, what's so funny?' she huffed.

'No, it's just…' he sniffed. _There's no way that murderous aura came from her! _'I misunderstood you for someone great and fearful! Ha!'

She cocked her head. _So, my identity is safe? _She smiled. _Wait…I'm NOT great? But no, at least I won't be kicked out of the Palace for unladylike behaviour!_

'Damn it, I think I twisted my foot,' he muttered. Mafuyu was in a _very_ happy mood, and forgetting herself, she decided to lend a hand.

'No worries,' she said as she bent down, slipping a hand under his knees and another under his arms. 'I'll take you to the nurse!' she giggled as she nonchalantly lifted him up.

Hayasaka's face flamed. _She…she's carrying me like a princess… _'I knew it, Kurosaki. You're _insane_!'

_My dear mother! _Mafuyu pranced down the courtyard path with Hayasaka squirming in her grip. _I thought Midori ga Oka would be a horrible place, but besides a really annoying Advisor, I'm having fun! I even made a new friend! So don't worry about me._

_Wait…I still need to go to the restroom…_

Silently watching from a window on a tower, Advisor Takaomi Saeki peered down at the couple. 'It's going to become a little interesting now that you're here,' his mouth twitched upwards. 'Right, Mafuyu?'

* * *

**If there are any mistakes or historical errors, please inform me in a review! Chapter 3 will be up very soon. Thank you for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Stuffed Rabbit

**Hello, I am back with another chapter. A little more of Mafuyu's past is revealed in this one. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oresama Teacher! This is only a fanfiction.**

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Stuffed Rabbit**

Long ago…

The little girl ran behind the squire, the squire who used to live next door to her when she was small. _I won the duel, I won!_

She heard him laugh and pat her head. _Wonderful. You'll be a knight in no time._

The little girl reached out to him…the boy who lived next door to her…but he was fading. _No! _The girl, now sixteen and dressed in a Lady's dress chased after him. _Don't go! Ah, call out to him! What's his name again? Gorou? No, Yuusuke? Daiki! Kentama…Kanade! Yuuto! Tarou!_

'Takaomi!' Mafuyu gasped, sitting up in her bed. _Eh, Takaomi? No, Takaomi is…_ an image of that rotten tutor flashed in her mind. _Advisor Takaomi Saeki!_

The poor girl spent the next few minutes in frenzy, fishing through the trunk full of mementos collected over the years that she kept under her bed. She took out an old notepad she used as a kid, where she doodled whenever she got bored. Flipping through it, she came to the drawing she was looking for. It was a crudely drawn love heart with _Mafuyu Kurosaki + Takaomi Gojou_ written in it. He had moved away because of his mother, she recalled. She sighed in relief seeing his last name, but stopped herself. _Wait…just how common is the name Takaomi? I need to investigate further!_

* * *

She walked in through the palace gates, her eyes scanning the grounds. She didn't know her way around the place yet so she had to find someone…. A familiar blonde boy walked past her. Her face lighting up, she lifted her skirts and scurried up to him. 'Hayasaka, my good companion!'

His eyes widened. 'I'm not your companion!'

'Don't be shy,' she winked. Ignoring his disapproval, she said, 'I need to know more about Advisor Saeki. Mostly his birthplace, family, basic history and such.'

'Ask him yourself,' he huffed, but his heart jumped in his throat when she glared at him threateningly. Mafuyu was completely oblivious to how she looked, merely looking at him and deep in thought.

_That would be the fastest way…but the first time I met him, I boasted about the kind boy who was my neighbour. It would seem awkward for me to bring it up again with him. I should find everything in secret first. Yes…like a Palace spy…in secret…_

Hayasaka blinked. _Is she going to find Saeki's weakness and extort him? He is a pretty scary tutor and he probably deserves it. How smart…and unladylike!_ 'I would advise against it,' he said. 'Saeki is strong and fearsome. You should aim for a weaker tutor first…'

'No! It has to be him, otherwise there's no point!'

Hayasaka smiled. _Wow, aiming for the top already? Amazing. THIS is the kind of squire we need in the Palace! But she's a Lady…oh, whatever!_

Mafuyu bit her lip. _Does Hayasaka have a tutor he wants to investigate first? Then I'll let him go first, being the knight…I mean, the LADY I am! _'I don't mind if you want to…'

'No!' he grabbed her shoulders. 'We're in this together. Let's do this!'

_Hayasaka,_ Mafuyu nearly cried. _You are so wonderful! You will become an amazing knight!_

'Ok,' she took out a dagger. 'This is the plan. I bought this enchanted dagger from a gypsy stall on my way to the Palace. Anyone it stabs will spill out the truth for three questions.'

'Hey,' Hayasaka let her go. 'Isn't that illegal?'

She shrugged, eyes glinting. 'There he is!' she said, pointing to the black haired man as he glided down the cobblestone path, his dark red robes brushing the ground. She spun on her heel, throwing the dagger. It sailed through the air, too fast for anyone to stop it. As the two watched, one with delight and the other with horror, the dagger went straight for his back. With one swift movement, Advisor Saeki snapped his right arm and deflected the knife as easy as blinking. It sailed through the air and landed in a bush. He continued walking as if nothing had happened.

'What…what in Hell was that?' Mafuyu screeched. Both of them ran to the bush.

'Now, a lady must watch her tongue,' Hayasaka droned. Clearly both of them had underestimated Advisor Saeki. He felt pitiful as Mafuyu rummaged through the bush, pulling out the dagger. The hilt had come loose from the sheer force of the block. 'She also shouldn't dirty her clothes or play with daggers.'

'No,' she trembled. 'This cost me 30 gold coins…that's most of my allowance! Now I have to wait another month…'

Hayasaka pursed his lips. _30 gold coins? Isn't that too much? The gypsy tricked her, obviously. What an idiot…no wait, she gets over 30 gold coins per month? Just who is her mother?_

'Okay, second plan. I will call out to him but he won't know it's me, because I will hide myself. Then, I will ask him the questions I have!'

'What makes you think he won't recognise your voice…?' Hayasaka asked, but Mafuyu had already left. He sighed, following her. She hid herself behind a wall just as Advisor Saeki walked past on the other side.

'Advisor Saeki!' she called. The footsteps stopped.

'Yes?'

'This is Mafuyu. Tell me where you were born!'

'Lady Kurosaki, don't stop me to ask something so trivial,' he muttered, and the footsteps started again.

'He knew who I was!' she turned to Hayasaka. He banged his head against the wall.

'Of course, you stupid woman! You said your name!'

She looked at him. 'You know, he and you are the only two people I know here.'

He shook his head. 'You really have no companions, do you?'

'I have you!' she jumped to hug him but he stepped out of the way.

'A lady shouldn't embrace a squire like that!' he snapped. 'If you want to find out more about him, why don't we go deeper into the Palace? His office must be in there somewhere.'

'D…deeper into the Palace?' she gulped, recalling the days when she became a knight and walked in the smaller castle of Higashi. Everyone had shied away from her, their faces stricken with fear. 'I mean, I'm a Lady! Nobody will avoid me! But how do we find his office?'

'Of course they won't avoid you,' Hayasaka raised an eyebrow. 'And about finding his office, see that window over there?' he pointed. 'I've seen Advisor Saeki through it once. Maybe that's his office. We can go and check.'

'Great idea,' Mafuyu nodded, rolling up her dress and placing a foot on the wall. She found a grip and hoisted herself up, right foot, left foot, right hand, left hand…

'Hey, Kurosaki! What are you doing?' Hayasaka yelled, waving his arms. 'Oy, get down _right now!_ Aren't you a lady? What are you doing, scaling the Palace walls like a village boy? Isn't it hard? Wait while I go get a ladder!'

She was about to yell back that this was easy and that she had even done it while wearing knight's armour, but she stopped herself just in time. She was halfway there when another familiar voice drifted up to her.

'Lady Mafuyu Kurosaki.'

She gulped. _Advisor Saeki!_ Without looking down, she slowly descended. She felt his hand place on her head, and he began squeezing. She winced, but didn't back down, looking up at him. _Is he mad that I tried to break into his office?_

'What time is it?' he growled, eyes shining menacingly. She stared. _Could it be…class has started?_ 'How dare someone like you miss one of my sessions,' he continued, his grip hardening. 'You can snoop around, be unladylike and cclimb as many castles as you want, but don't you _DARE_ skip my lessons.'

'I didn't do it on purpose! I was focused on something else…so I…'

He released his grip, smiling. 'Well, I guess I'll let you go this time. After all, I intended to be a bit nicer to you, since it's been nearly ten years since we last met. But, on second thought, I don't want to be nicer to you.'

_Wait…it's been nearly ten years? Oh god, no…_

'If you want to investigate me, why don't I just tell you?'

'Wait!' Mafuyu held up her hands. 'No, don't say anything-'

'That kind boy who lived next to you,' his eyes shone with sadistic pleasure. 'That was me. The "Takaomi" you looked up to? Me. Understand?'

Mafuyu was speechless. 'No way in Hell!' she yelled, refusing the idea. _The Takaomi I knew was much gentler than this evil man!_ 'You stupid liar! Takaomi was never this mean!'

He grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer. 'Hey, your rowdy side is showing,' he grinned. 'Stubborn, aren't you? Now that's the _Mafuyu_ I know.'

_Why is he acting so familiar? _She gasped. 'No, Takaomi's family name was Gojou! You liar!'

'My mother left my father and remarried. That's how I became a _Saeki_. Hey, if I was so nice to you when you were young, how did you forget me?'

'You weren't nice to me at all!' she yelled, then clamped her mouth shut. _Wait…_

'See?' he leered. 'You're finally remembering.'

'No, I…'

'GO!' he suddenly ordered.

'Yes sir!' Mafuyu instinctively began running. _Wait…why am I running?_ She skidded to a halt.

'The memory is gone, but it's been integrated into your instincts,' said Advisor Saeki…no, Takaomi?

Mafuyu swallowed. _I don't like the way he put that. If he really is Takaomi from the past, then where are my memories of him…?_

'_Mafuyu, go!' the boy yelled, and the little girl ran at full speed._

Mafuyu gasped. Those images…those memories…

'You remember that stuffed rabbit, don't you?' Takaomi asked.

_Stuffed…rabbit…an evil grin, fighting, blood, broken bones, a hand patting her head…_ It all came back to her. There indeed was an older boy who was her neighbour, but he wasn't kind and gentle. Oh no. he was quite the opposite.

* * *

He was a knight, just like her, but he was the kind of knight people called a pretender. He had the armour, he had the skills, but he didn't have the seal and he certainly didn't have the honour. He had never been knighted, unlike Mafuyu. But everyone treated him like he was amazing, which he was indeed. He was a knight everyone feared to have as an enemy, whom everyone dreamed would be their leader. In fact, he would force her – a six year old – to observe his fights. But one day, it went further.

'Takaomi!' the little girl ran up to him. 'Squire Aki took my rabbit!'

He glared at her. 'So? Take it back.' Yes, he was a demon. And when she argued that there were too many people, that he should come to save her, he reached out a hand…and grabbed her head with a clenching grip. 'You coward!' he screeched. 'You weak excuse for a human being! Complain any more, and I'll beat you till you're unrecognisable!'

And so she ran like the wind and beat five people to get back her beloved toy. Sure, the five people were strong, and scary, and they could kill her. But Takaomi was stronger, scarier and he _would_ kill her. So using her fear as her strength, the seven-year-old won against her seniors.

'Twenty five minutes,' Takaomi said. 'Try harder next time.'

_Next time…?_

* * *

Mafuyu fell to her knees.

'So you finally remember,' Takaomi chuckled.

'Why did I forget something like this?' she mumbled.

'Probably because you were climbing a watchtower to retrieve a bird's nest for me when you slipped and fell down, suffering a concussion, just a few days before I left town. The doctor said you lost a few of your memories or something.'

'I've never heard of such a thing!' she squealed. 'Wait…why was I retrieving a bird's nest for you? No, so it's _your_ fault this happened to me?'

'The mother bird had died and I wanted eggs for breakfast,' he shrugged. 'But I kept quiet about it because I didn't want any more bad things to happen. As in, I didn't want you to tell them I was the one who sent you up there in the first place.' He placed a finger on her chin and tilted her face up. 'I decided to pretend not to recognise you if you had changed,' he whispered, 'but you're still the same brat I knew back then.'

Mafuyu's heartbeat quickened. His eyes crinkled up as he smiled.

'It's been nearly a decade, _Mafuyu_.'

'Hey…what are you guys doing?' Hayasaka said, a ladder in his arms. He was staring at the two. Takaomi straightened.

'I was reminding Lady Kurosaki that skipping classes is wrong for a lady, and so is climbing the Palace walls. The same could be said for you, Squire Hayasaka.'

Hayasaka gulped, not making eye contact. 'Yes, Advisor. Let's go Kuro…uh, _Lady_ Kurosaki.'

Mafuyu nodded absently, walking over to Hayasaka. She was still in shock.

Hayasaka looked at her. 'Hey, are you okay? He didn't…threaten you or anything, did he? I wouldn't be surprised.'

'Huh?' she blinked, looking back at Takaomi. 'Ah, no. It's just…I've realised life here is going to be a lot tougher than I imagined!'

* * *

**Chapter Four will be up soon. Please, if you have the time, review so I can improve! Thank you for reading.**


	4. Chapter 4: The House Guest

**Hello, again! Thank you so much for your reviews. :D The following chapter focuses on Mafuyu's and Takaomi's relationship.**

* * *

**Chapter Four: The House Guest**

The soft glow of the setting sun washed over the marketplace and cobblestone paths. Mafuyu frowned. _This is the worst day of my life…so far. I have just found out that my first love is a horrible, cunning and heinous man. And to add to that, he's my tutor! It's like it's out of some stage play…thankfully Hayasaka arrived and I was able to get away, but I'll see him again tomorrow. And I turned out not going to ANY of my classes too. Oh well._ _But right now, I need to go buy some food._ Sighing, Mafuyu went to buy some bread. She filled her cotton bag with sweet rolls but as she moved to pay, she bumped into someone behind her. 'Pardon me…_Advisor Saeki?_'

A man in red and gold robes stared at her, a carrot in his hand. 'Mafuyu.'

_Can't I be rid of this man for one day?_

'How unhealthy,' Takaomi pointed to her bag. 'All of those are sweet rolls? Be careful, or you won't be able to fit into your corset.'

_Ack, he said something reasonable!_

He tossed his carrot in, then picked up more vegetables from a nearby cart and stuffed them in the bag too. 'Eat your vegetables.'

'Hey, you can't do that!' Mafuyu complained. 'I don't cook, so buying vegetables is pointless…' she trailed off when he went to the merchant and tossed a few coins at him. Seeing her shocked expression, he shrugged.

'My treat, as an apology for the other day.'

'Thanks…' Mafuyu said, suspicious. Was he a nice guy or did he have an ulterior motive?

'It's unsafe for a lady to walk home alone at this hour, so let me escort you,' he smiled. Mafuyu was thoroughly confused and remained so for the entire journey. When they reached her door, she felt bad to not invite him in.

'Um…do you want some herbal tea…? My mother sent some…'

'Don't mind if I do,' Takaomi stepped inside. 'And while we're at it, I'll also be staying for the night.'

'Eh…? But why?' Mafuyu asked. _I knew he was planning something!_

'Well, I left my house key at the Palace, and the guards won't let me back in.'

'Why won't they let you in? You're an Advisor!'

Takaomi rolled his eyes. 'Because, well…the Chief of Guard and I have a…rocky relationship.'

'You blackmailed him too?' Mafuyu snorted.

He stared at her. 'Are you crazy? Blackmail the Chief? No, I just pinned the blame on him for a few of my mistakes. Anyway, fortunately I met you.'

_A _few _mistakes? And I'm so stupid! I knew he had an ulterior motive…_

'Besides,' his gaze turned icy, 'our conversation was disturbed. And then you ran away!' He grabbed her head. 'How dare you run away from me?'

Mafuyu flinched. 'It's not like any of my memories have returned!'

'Really?' he let go. 'Oh…well, when you were small, you used to say "I'm going to be Takaomi's bride when I grow up!"'

'Seriously?' Mafuyu spluttered.

'Nah, I'm just pulling your leg,' he grinned. 'But I didn't expect that you would cease to remember any following events.' He got up and opened her wardrobe. 'I'll need to borrow some clothes. I can't stay in these robes all night.'

Mafuyu swallowed. 'Hey, Advisor Saeki! Stop…!'

He leaned down, his face an inch from hers. '_Takaomi._'

'T…Takaomi!' Mafuyu repeated.

'Good girl. It's strange to hear you call me Advisor Saeki.'

Mafuyu held up her hands. 'T…Takaomi, all of my clothes are dresses…'

He held up a large undershirt, normally worn by squires. It was something her friends had given her as a parting gift, to remember them. 'Well…I guess you could use that…'

Mafuyu averted her eyes as he took his robes off. What if her neighbours were to see a young man removing his clothes in her house? She would be so embarrassed. 'Oh, a letter!' she heard him exclaim.

'Hey!' she turned to him as he read her private letter.

'_Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki_, huh? _Knight in shining armour…_?' he chuckled. 'So you actually became a knight, a proper one? Were you seriously knighted? How?'

'There was this tournament and…wait, why am I telling you? It doesn't matter!' she scowled.

'What…' he held up a toy mouse. 'Mafuyu, you collect the weirdest of things.' _Grumble…_ Takaomi clicked his tongue. 'I'm hungry,' he sauntered over to the kitchen, throwing the mouse away. 'Go make something for me to eat.'

'Just stop doing whatever you feel like!' she fumed. 'And I don't cook! I can't even make vegetable stew!'

'I guess I'll cook, then,' Takaomi sighed.

Her eyes shone. 'You can cook?'

'What do you take me for?' he grinned haughtily. 'Of course I can't cook.'

'Go home!' she yelled, her dreams crushed. 'You useless man!'

'I can do it as long as I have a pot!' he rubbed his hands together. 'When boiled, anything can be eaten!'

'As if!'

'Food is all about _love_,' he said. 'If you love me, you'll eat anything I make!'

'Shouldn't it be the other way around? No, I mean, there isn't any love here! Hey, get out of my kitchen,' she winced as she heard pots and pans clashing.

'Where's the knife?'

Mafuyu bit her lip. 'Wait! At least let me do the cutting.'

He looked at her expectantly. 'Then chop up the vegetables.' She began cutting the carrot. It was surprisingly hard and Takaomi kept on looking her, unsettling her. 'Come on, you can do it. You know, Mafuyu, working together like this reminds me of the enjoyable past, when I used to train you to be a better person.'

She glowered at him. 'A better person? Yeah, right! I was more like your squire, by the sound of it. I bet you all my fighting skills come from observing your silly duels. In fact…' Mafuyu's eyes widened. 'It was all your fault that I was avoided in my school! Your squires used to bow to me and call themselves under my service, so everyone was scared of me! Stupid jokers.'

'They weren't joking. You were really stronger than them, even as a toddler, so they looked up to you. You were scary too, because no matter how many times I hit you, you always came running back to me,' he shivered. 'Such boundless strength… It was a surprise when we met again.'

'Hey,' she said. 'When did you realise I was the same girl?'

He looked into the distance. 'My suspicions began when you took away my pipe. You said something I had told you a long time ago. I went to class one day after skipping many of my sessions, and the tutor was explaining what some doctors had found out through medical autopsy about tobacco and how smoking would make your lungs go black.'

'I see.'

'And of course your name, no way could I forget that name. And you look the same too,' he tutted.

'What's with that disappointed tone?' she growled. 'In fact, you're just amazed at how beautiful I have become.'

'Ladies shouldn't lie,' he smirked. She frowned, picking up the knife again.

_He's so irritating…_she brought it down. 'Ah!' Mafuyu squeezed her hand.

'What did you do now?' he walked over, seeing her finger dripping with blood. 'My, I didn't know you were this clumsy! Just stay out of the way and wash your wound quickly,' he ushered her away.

_Is he worried about me?_ Mafuyu wondered, wrapping her finger in a strip of cloth. _The cut isn't that deep. But, I guess it's nice to have someone…_ she stopped.

_Crash, Bang, ROAR!_

'What in the world are you doing?' she ran to the kitchen. Takaomi grinned thrusting a plate under her nose. It was a horrid mixture of spices and vegetables and meat and… Mafuyu didn't even know what else.

'Hold it,' Takaomi grabbed her collar as she tried to run away. 'After all the trouble I went through, eat it.'

'I'll pass, sir,' Mafuyu shook her head but he grabbed her chin and stuffed in a spoonful. Mafuyu swallowed and collapsed, gagging. 'Attempted murder!' she hissed as the disgustingly bitter mush slid down her throat.

'It can't be that bad,' Takaomi frowned, eating a bite. He was silent. He put the plate down. 'You know what, I just ate. I think I'll just have some spiced meat.'

_Liar!_

He picked up a large piece of ham. 'I'll eat this.'

'Look how big that is! If you just ate, how could you…?'

He rested his head in his hand. 'That was so bad, I bet the Devil himself could cook better,' he admitted. 'Do you want some simple spiced meat as well?'

'Yeah,' she said, looking at the dish of disgusting food. _Food is all about love_, she remembered him saying. 'Actually, I'll finish this.' _When I think that he made this for me, I feel a little happy. Even though the taste is nasty…_

'Doesn't it taste bad?' he asked, surprised. She nodded as she stuffed her mouth and he laughed. Mafuyu blushed, looking away. 'You're such a weird girl! Why don't I make a dessert as well?'

'Don't you dare!' she said, painfully swallowing the last mouthful.

'You actually finished it,' he said, smiling. 'Fine, I'll reward you.'

Mafuyu raised an eyebrow. 'A reward? Alright,' she smiled. 'I'll ask you one question and you have to answer truthfully.' At his nod, she asked, 'Why did you become an Advisor? I mean, it doesn't suit your personality. And I've seen how the students are scared to of you too. I can't see you advising anyone.'

'I'll kill you,' he scowled, then sighed. 'There's something I need to do, that I can _only_ do as an Advisor to the King.'

'Oh…what is it?'

'It's personal,' he got up, walking over to the window. 'It's something anyone would call stupid and worthless, but…' he gazed out, a distant look in his eyes. 'It's something I must do before anything else.'

Mafuyu looked at the ground. 'What do you mean?' she asked just as she heard a rattling sound. 'Takaomi?' she gasped. He wasn't there anymore. She ran to the window and looked out. She couldn't see anyone down the street either. He had disappeared. 'Just like a shadow, huh?' she muttered. _Does that mean he doesn't want to tell me more? But…behind that simple character lays someone mature, and who thinks a lot, huh?_ She walked back into the kitchen. Her mouth dropped. The floor was wet with spilled water, diced vegetables dotted the ground and there were kitchen utensils in places where they shouldn't _ever_ be.

_Mature? Yeah, right!_

* * *

**The next chapter will introduce another favourite character. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Masked Hero

**I present to you Chapter Five, dear readers. A new character is introduced! However you might be able to guess by the chapter name...**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Masked Hero**

Hayasaka kicked the squire on the floor. 'The three of you ganging up on me is bad enough, but is that all you can do?' he spat, turning around and walking back into the castle. Lessons were about to begin and he made his way to the classroom, only to find a scroll lying on his chair. He picked it up, rolling it out. "_Meet me in the back courtyard after the afternoon lessons." It's a challenge letter,_ his eyes narrowed. _Defeating three squires is not that large a feat. I must get stronger! _He stuffed it in one of his pockets. He stiffened. _This aura…this killing intent…it could only be…_

'Hayasaka!' Mafuyu Kurosaki sailed through the air, running to embrace her comrade.

He instinctively dodged the woman. _Did she want to attack me from behind? No, I still don't know her strength. Her aura is so intimidating, but she passed out by merely tripping on a person. What a strange girl…_

'Hey, what happened to your face?' she asked, referring to the cuts and bruises on his skin. 'Oh no! Did Ta…I mean, Advisor Saeki beat you after you left with me yesterday? Is it my fault?'

'What?' Hayasaka stared at her. 'NO! An Advisor wouldn't beat the hell out of a squire! I mean, I don't know about Saeki but…I just got into a fight.'

'Your poor, damaged above-average face,' Mafuyu sobbed. 'How unfortunate.'

'Unfortunate? You're the one who has a super average face.'

Mafuyu jumped at him. 'Ah? Then what would be your type of face? I want to know! Tell me!'

Hayasaka pushed her off. 'Don't cling to me! Well, the ladies always talk about it, so I guess the Prince? I've only seen him a few times here and there in the Palace, though.'

'The…the Prince?' Mafuyu looked at him with awe. She had forgotten, but the Crown Prince lived in the Palace. 'I hope I can meet him one day.'

Hayasaka shrugged. 'You never know.'

* * *

They were sitting quietly in class, staring at the History tutor as they scribbled down notes.

'Hey, Hayasaka,' Mafuyu hissed. 'What's the Prince like?'

'Why are you so interested?' Hayasaka asked, writing down his notes.

She stared at him intently. His book was filled with notes from every subject, neatly organised with bookmarks and all the important points underlined. His movements were smooth and his quill was in great shape – unlike hers, which she always had to change due to her always breaking it. It was like that in her old town too. She and her friends always used to doodle in their books and break their quills. In fact, they used their quills for everything _other_ than writing, like backscratchers, ear cleaners...and so on. _He's a delinquent, but he's not. It's weird…was he brought up well? What a strange guy,_ she though.

* * *

'Lady Kurosaki,' Takaomi called during morning break.

'Yes,' she answered. He came up to her and shoved a bag into her hands. It was heavy…_very_ heavy.

'Carry this to the armoury,' he said, and then leaned down. 'Hey, I think I forgot my robes and my sandals at your place yesterday,' he whispered.

'Yes, I think you did. By the way, where's the armoury?'

'You don't know?' he pursed his lips. 'Fine then. HEY, HAYASAKA!' he yelled. 'Show her around school.'

Mafuyu's face brightened and Hayasaka glared. 'No way,' he said, walking away.

Takaomi cleared his throat. 'Shall I tell everyone about…that incident?' That sent Hayasaka running over to Takaomi and grabbing his robes.

'I'll do it, please let me do it!' he begged. 'Just don't tell anyone.'

'You're a great guy,' Takaomi smiled and shared a look with a confused Mafuyu. 'Don't worry about it. And don't be late for class!'

Hayasaka came up to her and extended a hand. 'Give it to me.'

Mafuyu looked at him. 'A tip? Sorry, but I'm poor right now. I can't afford it.'

'You airhead!' Hayasaka banged her on the head. 'I meant, give me the bag you're carrying. I shouldn't have to say it…'

_This is truly a dream…_ Mafuyu sniffed. _Someone is offering to carry my stuff for me!_

'What kind of life have you been living?' Hayasaka sighed, taking the bag. Instantly, his knees buckled but he managed to continue walking. _How the hell was she able to carry this? Scary!_

They reached the Palace armoury and Hayasaka dumped the bag on the floor. Mafuyu looked around her at the room that was filled with swords, shields and knight's armour. She breathed in deeply. _Ah, reminds me of the good old days…_her eyes met with something light coloured. She reached over and plucked it out from a pile of discarded armour. _What's this? A ceramic…rabbit mask? _She turned it over. It had a string attached to the back so that it could be worn. _What is this? A stage prop?_

Something fluttered to the ground when Hayasaka straightened his crinkled tunic. Mafuyu picked it up. 'A challenge letter? Hayasaka! Are you still fighting with people?'

'Oh, I dropped it,' he took it back. 'Of course I am. In the back courtyard after lessons.'

'Hayasaka,' Mafuyu pressed her lips together. 'Please, you really should stop fighting. Always getting hurt and beaten…it isn't good for you and nothing will come out of it.'

Hayasaka leaned back, his eyes looking into the distance. 'Don't you ever feel like you don't understand yourself?'

'Uh…not really…'

'Well, when I fight, I feel…at ease. It's like all my worries just melt away. Even if it's a short amount of time, I can forget all the bad things in life.'

'You mean…like alcohol?'

He glared at her, walking away. 'It's my mental support, so just…leave me alone, okay?'

_But fighting isn't the answer_, Mafuyu thought as he left. _This place…the Palace and your training lessons are a place where you play with your friends, where you chase young love and compete in tournaments, where there's joy and laughter and so many positive things! Violence won't solve anything. I know by experience,_ she clenched the mask in her hand. _If fighting without cause is your support, then that's too lonely. A normal life is so much better! Why don't you get it?_

* * *

Hayasaka landed another punch. _Seven people! This is too much for me to handle. There's still four more. Maybe I can…_he groaned ad someone landed a hit on the back of his head. He collapsed to his knees as the squire raised his leg to kick. _So this is how it ends, huh…?_ Hayasaka screwed his eyes shut, bracing himself. He had no more energy left.

_Whack!_ The squire fell down, grabbing his head. _Wait…is that…a shoe?_

'You rapscallion!' a high-pitched, female voice shouted. 'Seven against one? Where's your honour?'

Hayasaka's mouth dropped open as he looked up to see a girl standing on the roof of a shed. That light brown gown…the red embroidery…the white ruffles…

'Fighting is bad,' she continued. 'I will not forgive bad things.'

'You…' he gaped for there stood a girl…in a Palace Lady's uniform…

Wearing a ceramic rabbit mask.

'Who the hell are you?'

'The greatest ally to justice, Lady Bunny-man, at your service!' she squeaked. 'Here I go!' she jumped off the roof, landing perfectly on the ground. 'Now, will you kindly return that boy to me?'

The squires who were attacking took a step back, staring at Hayasaka. One of them pointed. 'He knows that freakish thing?'

'No I don't!' Hayasaka yelled, scrambling away.

The masked girl raised a hand…and punched one of the squires square in the jaw. He went flying. She turned to the rest, her lifeless eyes staring.

'No, don't come closer!' they begged, running. It was all a blur after that. Hayasaka kept on flinching after every kick, punch and elbow hit their targets. Soon, the ground was littered with groaning boys. She turned to him but before he could get up and run, she crouched down and placed a hand on his head. 'Did anything change after you fought?'

He swallowed and batted her hand, looking away.

'You don't enjoy fighting, do you?' she continued. She wanted to reach him not with brute force, but with her words. 'It's not manly or cool to fight against many people, even if you do win. It's worthless. You're great the way you are. When you fight, it only hurts yourself. You must have other hobbies, right? Why don't you aim for something grand and worth achieving?'

He blinked. 'Like what?'

'Uh…' the girl scratched her brown hair. 'Like becoming the king! Anyway, I must leave now! Um, just stop fighting!' she blurted, scrambling to her feet and scurrying away. Hayasaka chuckled.

'King? Well, that sure is grand. How can a commoner become King?' he laughed. 'One girl defeated four second year squires. Amazing…she even called them rapscallions. Hah! Worthless fights?' Hayasaka shrugged. 'I guess she has a point.'

* * *

Mafuyu walked into the classroom the next day, only to find Hayasaka looking out the window. She licked her lips nervously. _Did he realise Lady Bunny-man is me? Oh no, what if he's mad?_ 'Hey…good morning.'

'Kurosaki, I think I'll stop looking for fights,' he muttered. Mafuyu smiled. 'Yeah. This day onwards, I'll only fight when my enemies come at me themselves.'

Her eye twitched. _So he will still fight? Oh well, at least it's one step ahead!_

'I met a very strange girl in a rabbit mask yesterday, you know,' he said dreamily. 'I wonder who that was.'

'I…I don't know, of course,' Mafuyu stammered. _So he didn't realise…but why is he acting so weird?_

'I hope I can meet her again,' he said, a slight red tinging his cheeks.

Mafuyu cringed. _That look…is like a girl in love, Hayasaka!_

* * *

'Advisor Saeki,' the man dressed in silk robes picked up the gold plated quill. 'Are you sure about these conditions?'

The man before him nodded. 'Of course, your majesty.' He smiled. 'For a long time, gambling has been my specialty.'

'Hold on,' the King stood up, the guards at his door instantly stiffening. He gestured at them to relax. 'No, I think I should change the conditions. This is…'

'If you win this…very dangerous bet…you will benefit by much, your majesty,' Advisor Saeki said. 'I need only _nothing_…or _everything._'

The King sat down, signing the scroll in front of him and sealing it. 'Very well, then. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into, I'm happy to play by tis bet of yours.'

Advisor Saeki bowed deeply and left the room. The second he was out, a cunning smile spread on his lips. 'And so the game begins.'

* * *

**And so we start to move on to the actual storyline. I had to name Usa-chan-man as Lady Bunny-man due to the fact that this fanfiction is not in Japan, and besides the names of the characters, nothing else (except for a certain 'ninja' in the future) is supposed to be Japanese. Please, if anyone has a better name, inform me in your reviews! Although I hope Lady Bunny-man is satisfactory. :)**


	6. Chapter 6: The Juvenile Guard

**Good evening dear readers. I present to you another chapter! Another character is introduced and the story moves forward!**

* * *

**Chapter Six: The Juvenile Guard**

The first thing Mafuyu Kurosaki saw that morning in the palace halls was the smiling face of her mathematics tutor.

'Lady Kurosaki,' Takaomi lifted her hand and kissed it. 'Are you settling in well?' When she continued to stare at him he looked concerned. 'What's wrong? Are you sick?'

'Uh…'

'Well,' he grinned. 'Don't work too hard!'

_SO SCARY!_

* * *

'Advisor Saeki is acting out of character?' Hayasaka raised an eyebrow.

'Absolutely. His smile is frightening,' Mafuyu shivered.

'Oh? Isn't that normal for him?' he shrugged. 'Here he is now.'

Takaomi entered the classroom with a huge grin on his face. 'Let's start our class, my wonderful students!'

All the ladies and squires were silent for the whole lesson. When Takaomi left the room after his lesson, smiling, they began screaming.

'What happened to the Advisor?'

'I wasn't asked to stand on my head for forgetting my homework!'

'I wasn't thrown out the window for not knowing the answer!'

'He didn't hit me with his fist because I failed my test!'

Mafuyu followed the panicking children with her eyes. _Rather…aren't his teaching methods out of the ordinary anyway?_

'I…I should just study!'

'Yeah, me too!'

'And me!'

Mafuyu gaped. _So this is how he gets them to work?_

A man knocked at the door. 'Uh, Lady Kurosaki and Squire Hayasaka are to report to Advisor Saeki's office right away.'

Mafuyu and Hayasaka shared a look. _We're going to be killed!_

* * *

Takaomi stood in front of them. 'From here on, you are part of the Juvenile Guard, okay?'

It took a moment for Mafuyu and Hayasaka to process that information. 'Wait, what? No, not okay!' Hayasaka got to his feet. 'I never agreed to this!'

'Yes you did,' Takaomi held up a piece of paper. Hayasaka snatched it, his hands trembling.

'You villain…' he muttered. Mafuyu got up to take a look. 'I never signed this!'

'_Proof of Membership_,' she read out. '_Those who have signed below agree to the terms and duties of the Juvenile Guard…_eh? Why are Hayasaka and my signatures here? We never…' her eyes widened. 'You forged them!'

He merely smiled. 'But you have no proof that this is forged.'

'It's forged! It's definitely forged!'

'It's a student's word over an Advisor's. I hope you will forgive me, after I was so kind to you today.'

'Yeah, right!' Hayasaka growled, but he knew he couldn't do anything to retaliate. He looked at Mafuyu. 'Kurosaki, hear him out for me. I already have a headache. I'm going home.' And with that, he walked out.

Takaomi snorted. 'He calls you Kurosaki and you call him Hayasaka? No Lady and Squire title?'

'He's not polite enough…I mean, we're friends! We don't need titles,' she huffed.

'Fine, whatever,' Takaomi rubbed his hands together. I'll tell you something interesting. I made a…bet with the…uh, the King.'

'Huh?' Mafuyu felt like she was being tricked. 'What?'

'It's true.'

_As if one can make a bet with THE KING! Oh well, let's hear him out_, she thought. 'Alright…what did you bet?'

'My life.'

'HUH?' she coughed. 'You're kidding, right!'

'No, I'm just messing with you. I'm not that stupid. I just bet five years of my salary' he said it like he was commenting on the weather. 'So you're going to help me.'

'Why the hell did you do that?' she spluttered. 'How did you make a bet with the KING? And how is the Juvenile Guard going to help you?'

'I'm...very _close_ to the Royal Family,' Takaomi licked his lips. 'Well, the goal is to get rid of all the delinquents. You know, the people who don't like following the law, or even the basic Palace rules, really.'

'Okay, but isn't that the job of the actual Guard?'

'They answer to the King, so they won't be of any help,' he brushed the matter aside. Mafuyu was still confused. 'The city of Midori ga Oka is in financial trouble because there aren't enough people to sustain its economy,' he explained. 'All these troublemakers are brought here because of the Palace's stupid policy of "not caring about people's past and welcoming anyone with open hands". This is making _normal_ people avoid the city.'

'Hey, you know I'm one of those troublemakers, right?' she mumbled. 'And shouldn't His Majesty want all the delinquents gone himself? How does this committee tie in with the bet?'

'All I can tell you is this: to win, over the next three years, using any method possible,' he leaned closer. 'I have to double the city's population. Simply put, if we get rid of all the delinquents, our jobs will become much easier. You don't want this wonderful city to be destroyed financially, do you? You have nowhere else to go.'

'But…it's so complicated to take care of all the people coming in, and accommodation, and all those things…' Mafuyu said, looking at him. _It all sounds insane but…_

'Who do you take me for?' Takaomi said haughtily. 'I'm an Advisor; let me take care of the details.'

_But…why do I feel as if he can do anything?_ Mafuyu sighed. She couldn't refuse, so she might as well have fun with it. 'Alright. What's our first job?'

He smirked. 'We'll take care of the only unofficial knight in the entire Palace. We'll be taking down the leader of all the delinquents, the Chief.'

* * *

'The Chief?' Hayasaka looked shocked. 'We're aiming that high already?'

Mafuyu nodded. 'Yeah…but I don't know where to even _start_ looking.'

Hayasaka pointed out the window. 'Do you see that old building over there?' Mafuyu peered at a depleted, large building nestled in the edge of the forest. The Palace was after all next to forest filled, mountainous areas. 'It used to be the building for the hall of the Palace where grand events were held, but since one was soon built in the Palace itself, it was abandoned. That's where all those delinquents spend their time. I heard the strongest squire becomes the next Chief and takes up the unofficial knighthood. Anyone who beats the current Chief becomes the next Chief.'

Mafuyu tapped him on the shoulder. 'Why don't you hang out there too?'

'I don't like crowds,' he said simply. 'I'm a lone wolf, okay? I'm not alone!' he exclaimed when he saw her pitying look.

'Advisor Saeki gave me the Chief's details,' Mafuyu took out a piece of paper and showed him.

'Just what kind of Advisor is he?' Hayasaka mused, reading the profile. '_Third Year Squire Kyoutaro Okegawa, self-declared knight and titled as 'Sir' by his followers, able to break stone with his bare hand, good at Tap Code…_' Hayasaka paused. 'What's Tap Code?'

'Oh,' Mafuyu perked up. 'It's a code the army uses to communicate. It contains two kinds of taps: a tap and a short pause and a tap and a long pause, also called dot and dash respectively. There's a pattern for each letter and number. For example _dot dash_ is the letter A.'

Hayasaka looked at her, impressed. 'Wow, how do you know this?'

'Uh…one of my friends back home was in Higashi's Army,' Mafuyu stammered. It wasn't an entire lie. 'Are you sure you want to do this? Why don't we refuse?' _Hayasaka wouldn't be stupid enough to want to face the Chief! He's a smart guy._

'Are you kidding me?' Hayasaka grinned, determined. 'I've always wanted to see how he looked like!'

Mafuyu slapped her forehead. _Are you for real?_

* * *

'What a messed up place,' Mafuyu commented as they stopped outside the doors. The windows were broken; the ceiling were crumbling…and were those blood stains on the walls? It was very nostalgic.

Her school didn't have a Chief. She and her squires caused a lot of mischief and they all depended on her but…wait a second…she remembered how her squires used to run around, complaining when a rival beat them up, or when enemies came to fight them, or saying that they would "follow Lady Mafuyu wherever she went"… _Huh? Could it be…I was their Chief?_ _NO! There's no way!_

'Hayasaka,' she said. 'If a bunch of delinquents followed one delinquent, who took care of their problems, what would that person be?'

'That's the Chief, right?'

'No way!' Mafuyu cried, running through the doors of the hall.

'Hey wait up!' Hayasaka followed. 'It's empty as it's lunch time,' he said as they walked in. The state inside was no better than outside, worse in fact.

Mafuyu lifted her skirts and stepped over broken glass. She spotted a cockroach and her killing instincts kicked in. 'HAAA!' she grabbed the nearest thing and smashed the bug.

'What are you…' Hayasaka swallowed when saw what she was holding. It was a cheap backpack and it had a name written on it. _Kyoutaro Okegawa._ Mafuyu carefully placed it on the ground and turned to Hayasaka, both their faces ashen. Just as she did so, the door flew open.

'Hey, what are you doing on our turf?' Five squires walked in, their tunics dirty and their undershirts ripped.

'O…Okegawa's men!' Hayasaka hissed.

'That's _Sir_ Okegawa to you, weakling,' a deeper voice resounded through the air. The five parted to let another man through. This man was tall, with a head of long, black hair casually pushed back. He was wearing light armour, and his dark eyes narrowed. 'Hayasaka, eh? I heard you were strong, but you're with a lady. So I guess you're not,' he chuckled, picking up the pack on the ground. 'Looks like I left this here.'

Mafuyu and Hayasaka stared at it, not saying a word.

Okegawa – as his identity was now proven – glared at them. 'What're you looking at? Oh well, that doesn't matter.' He extended a hand. 'Now give me my money.'

'Eh?' Mafuyu tilted her head.

'This place is our land. You have to pay us ten gold coins each as an entrance fee.'

'Hey, now that's too much,' Hayasaka moved in between Mafuyu and Okegawa. 'I'm afraid we're going to have to refuse.'

Okegawa smiled. 'Then let me enjoy beating the crap out of you.'

_Hayasaka you idiot!_ Mafuyu thought after she got over the joy of realising Hayasaka had stepped between them to protect her. _I've been fighting since I was a child! I can sense people's strength instinctively, and Okegawa's level is easily double yours!_ She bit her lip. She had to do something to stop this fight, but she didn't even have her rabbit mask with her. There was nothing on her dress she could use either – she couldn't tear off a piece of this expensive clothing! She took out her wallet and put it to her eye, tying it in place with her chain. It wasn't working. In fact, now she looked like a Cyclops and her vision was disturbed.

'What are you doing?' Hayasaka asked incredulously.

'Not looking at your opponent,' Okegawa said, 'is a bad idea!' He suddenly punched, but Hayasaka just managed to move back. Okegawa's fist made contact with the wall and left a tiny crater.

Mafuyu gulped. _If Hayasaka was hit by that, he would break his bones!_

'Interesting,' Hayasaka punched back.

_Idiot!_ Mafuyu yelled mentally as Okegawa grabbed his collar. _He's a goner! I need to help…_

Mafuyu ran towards him, kicking him in the back. Hayasaka fell forward, missing Okegawa's punch. Hayasaka fell onto another delinquent hard, knocking him out. Mafuyu fell on another squire, knocking him out as well. Okegawa made for another swing but Mafuyu kicked at Hayasaka's legs, buckling him to the floor. Another miss. Another fall and another delinquent down. She saw a wooden pillar hurtle towards them after Okegawa threw it. She pushed Hayasaka again. Another miss, fall and a squire out cold.

Hayasaka grabbed her collar, completely oblivious to how he was being saved by her. 'What are you doing? Stay out of my way!'

'I'm sorry! Don't be so mean.'

Hayasaka turned to face Okegawa, but Okegawa's eyes were focused behind him and on the girl. _Incredible,_ he thought. _She dodged all my hits as well as taking out my men by pushing Hayasaka around in an effort to protect him, with the least amount of damage inflicted upon everyone! What skill!_ He met her icy glare. _She's trying to intimidate me! I won't back down._ Her lips moved. _Is she trying to curse me? No…this is…Tap Code...?_

'Dot dot dash dot, dot dot, dash dot, dot dot, dot dot dot, dot dot dot dot,; she muttered. 'Dot dot dash, dot, dot dot, dash dash dot, dot dot dot dot, dash,' she continued, 'dot dash dot dot, dot dash, dash, dot, dot dash dot.'

_Finish fight later? _Okegawa swallowed, feeling a little wary for the first time in a long time. This girl seemed to be serious, going as far as using Tap Code. 'Fine,' he muttered. 'I'll let you go, but tomorrow, right here at this time, we have our showdown. We _will_ finish this fight.'

'Dot dot dot, dash dot dash,' Mafuyu saluted him from behind Hayasaka. _OK!_

He nodded. 'Later,' he said, and left.

'Hah?' Hayasaka tilted his head. 'What was that about? Where is he going?'

_That was close, _Mafuyu sighed. _But I can't let Hayasaka go alone. He'll lose for sure. Ah! I think I have a plan…_

* * *

**I should mention that since Morse Code did not exist in the Middle Ages, I had to replace it with Tap Code! Yes, Morse Code and Tap Code are the same thing. My apologies, but I could not think of another type of code! Please, I hope that my dear readers will find it satisfactory. If anyone can think of a better code, please inform me in a review. Also, the Juvenile Guard is ****the Disciplinary Committee**. I think that is more suited to this setting! Thank you for reading!


	7. Chapter 7: Operation TakeDown

**Hello wonderful readers! I'm so happy people are enjoying this fanfic, and I hope you continue to enjoy it! Another character is introduced ~**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Operation Take-Down**

The next day, she walked into the armoury. 'It's not really a plan. I just become Lady Bunny-man again,' Mafuyu lifted the mask up from the shelf she had put it on. 'I'm relying on you, Lady Bunny-man!' she threw the mask in the air. And then she failed to catch it. It fell to the floor, and cracked in two. Mafuyu was horrified. 'It…it broke!'

* * *

'My bunny…my hero…' Mafuyu sobbed on Advisor Saeki's office floor.

'Stop making a fuss,' Takaomi lifted the mask up.

'But without it, I can't transform! If I fight, I'll be expelled! I'll be disowned, I'll have to life my life on the streets, and I'll die a slow, merciless…'

'Okay, okay, I'll fix it. Let me see how it broke,' He put the two pieces together. 'It's like…oops,' he muttered as the mask slipped out of his fingers and dropped to the floor, where it broke into more pieces. 'How clumsy of me.'

'You did that on purpose!' Mafuyu roared, grabbing his robe.

'I didn't, I swear! And I'm sure the Palace has more of these lying around. I'll look for them when I'm bothered,' Takaomi peeled her hands off his expensive clothes.

'But I need it _today!_'

His eyes wandered over her. 'Wait, I think I have just the thing…'

* * *

'_Drama Supply Closet_?' Mafuyu read off the door.

'Yeah. Quickly go in and dress up in something,' Takaomi ushered her in and closed the door. She looked around her. So many costumes…!

'Bow down to me,' she purred as she opened the door. A large, flowing dress adorned her, full of frills and glitter, 'for I am your Queen!'

Takaomi stared, smirking. 'I'd like to see you fight in that.'

She scowled and went back in, coming out wearing an outfit of a demon, with a short skirt, feathers and high boots. 'Fear me, for I am evil incarnated!'

'Nice legs you have there,' he mused, smiling slyly. She blushed violently, storming back inside. 'Hey, you aren't wearing that? It looks good!'

_Damn him to Hell! I wish he had just laughed. I feel so stupid!_ She opened the door and Takaomi blinked.

'That's your normal uniform. Done already?'

'Yeah,' she sighed, checking the tightness of her corset. 'I don't want it to be too eye catching. Maybe one of those horse-hair wigs…' her head tilted. 'Takaomi, what's that?'

Takaomi looked to where she was pointing. 'Oh, that's something that a student left behind last year…actually, it might just work!'

* * *

Hayasaka loitered around in the courtyard, waiting for Mafuyu to show up. _She's taking too long. It's close to impossible for me to fight Okegawa, but I have to protect…_

'Sorry to keep you waiting.'

'You're late…' Hayasaka turned around...but didn't see anyone. Just a tree.

'Above you.'

He looked up and stepped back in surprise. Standing in the tree was a young boy with light brown hair and a slightly feminine face, dressed in a loose fitting Third Year Squire uniform. He leaped down, landing in a squatting position before getting up. Hayasaka blinked. The boy had a confident, comforting, big-brother aura about him – as if he knew exactly what he was doing.

'Who are you?'

'Your back-up,' he answered, his voice rough. 'Lady Mafuyu Kurosaki asked me to help you. She was scared she would get in the way and so sent me to come instead.'

Hayasaka stared more. 'Um…okay…' he shrugged. 'I guess it doesn't matter.'

_He believed me!_ Mafuyu thought, gulping. _Go me…!_ She was wearing a horse-hair wig, squinting her eyes to make them seem smaller, lowering her voice and wearing a squire uniform left from last year. She also had secret, pumped boots to boost her height a little. _Hayasaka is pretty dense_, she thought. He didn't even recognise her when she wore the rabbit mask. _Oh well, at least it's going according to plan! First dressing up as a rabbit, and now cross-dressing? Mother, see the things I have to do?_

'Let's go,' Hayasaka started to make his way to the building. Mafuyu followed. 'I forgot to ask, but what's your name?'

'Huh?' Mafuyu swallowed. _I…I didn't think up of one!_ 'My name…is Na…Natsuo!' _What the hell is Natsuo? Who the hell is Natsuo? What a horrible name!_

'That's a cool name,' Hayasaka nodded.

'Which part is…?'

'It sounds cool. _Natsuo_.'

'I…I guess,' Mafuyu – Natsuo – said. _I don't get how Hayasaka's head works._

They came up to the building, only to see around fifty guys gathered outside, all of them delinquents. And before them all was Okegawa. He wasn't wearing his armour.

'Eh, what's this?' his snorted. 'Are you okay with having such a tiny man helping you? I didn't even wear my armour today, to give you a fighting chance,' he said, a large plank of wood resting on his shoulders. There was another lying on the ground next to Mafuyu.

_Okegawa hasn't realised it's me - the girl from the day before - either. Good,_ Mafuyu picked up the piece of wood. 'Hayasaka, you should use this…' her eyes widened as she saw Okegawa lift the plank from behind Hayasaka's back, bringing it down. _Hayasaka!_

_WHACK!_

Mafuyu had managed to push Hayasaka away, blocking the blow with her own wood. _That was close!_ She glared at Okegawa, smiling. 'Why don't you fight me instead?'

_He's able to withstand my strength?_ Okegawa clicked his tongue in annoyance.

'Hayasaka,' Mafuyu yelled. 'Stay back, alright?' _I have to keep him away from these delinquents!_

'I get it!' he nodded, turning to the other fifty. 'I'll take care of these guys. Since we're outnumbered!'

Mafuyu groaned. That's_ not what I meant! Oh, whatever. I'll leave them to you!_

'Hey, you're alone now,' Okegawa sneered, stepping back. 'Is that okay, little boy?'

'So are you,' Mafuyu said.

Okegawa smirked. 'Attack!' he yelled, and the fifty men thundered towards Mafuyu.

'What? It's not one-on-one?' she shouted, whacking her opponents left and right.

'Of course not. All I have to do is win. It doesn't have to be fair at all!'

_How dishonourable!_ Mafuyu scowled just as an arrow hit the ground next to her. She looked up to see Takaomi with a bow standing beside the open window of his room. _Takaomi!_ Everyone paused, curious, as she picked the arrow up and read the note attached to it. _I'll take care of the subordinates. DUCK._ She raised an eyebrow, but bent her knees slightly to duck. A volley of arrows flew above her head, shocking her. She got up and looked behind her to see all fifty men trapped in a makeshift fence of arrows that caged them in.

'What the hell?' she murmured. She knew it! _Takaomi is not human!_

'They're just arrows,' one squire said, stepping over them and running towards Mafuyu. There was a whistling in the air and before he could blink, he found himself pinned to the wall with so many arrows in his clothes that he couldn't move.

_My followers are useless!_ Okegawa though, but grinned as his eyes slid to the short boy. _But I'm not Chief for nothing. I'll beat this wimp any day of the week!_ He dashed towards the boy, his fist raised. Mafuyu easily dodged, tensed her legs and hurtled one strong punch that landed right on Okegawa's cheek.

There was only one though going through Okegawa's head before he blacked out: Looks could be deceiving. _Very_ deceiving.

_No way,_ Hayasaka gawped. _One hit knock out!_

The fifty men stared, gobsmacked, at the body of their fallen leader.

'A man who can't defend himself,' Mafuyu thundered, 'has no right to be Chief!' She turned to the men and they flinched, scared. 'I'm your new boss!' she yelled. 'I make the rules. There are only two rules you must follow, or you will suffer a beating much worse than you previous Chief! One is to go to class, and the second is to not fight with regular people! Any objections?'

Everyone was silent, the blood drained from their faces.

Hayasaka got up, bruised and battered. _He's got such an impact! He's short, but he sure is a man. He's a true born leader._ He smiled. _And pretty cool, too._

'Good job, Natsuo,' Hayasaka patted his back.

'No…' the cross-dresser murmured. 'I'm an idiot! I forgot to order them to break up the gang!' Mafuyu moaned. 'Takaomi is going to kill me…I'm going to be called useless…' she sobbed.

_He calls Advisor Saeki Takaomi?_ Hayasaka thought. 'I'm sure it'll be okay,' he said, dismissing the previous thought.

'Really?' her face lit up.

'Yeah…probably…'

'Thank goodness,' Mafuyu grinned, prancing away.

_He reminds me of someone,_ Hayasaka wondered. _But who?_

And that was the story of how the Juvenile Guard got no one to gather at the old building anymore.

* * *

'You chickened out,' Hayasaka grumbled to Mafuyu. 'Shouldn't you have at least made an appearance even though you're weak?'

'I'm sorry,' Mafuyu said. _He thinks I'm useless. But I can't reveal my identity; I don't want to be expelled!_ She felt his hand on her head.

'I'm kidding,' he muttered. 'It's normal for a girl to run away from a fight. I'm relieved you didn't get caught up in it.'

She blushed lightly. _You're such a nice guy, Hayasaka. Never calling me a Lady but always treating me like one._

'You look like you're really hurt, Hayasaka,' Takaomi muttered from where he was standing a few metres away. 'How awful.'

Hayasaka glared at him. 'How long have you been there?'

'Not long,' Takaomi smiled. 'You did well, Hayasaka,' he came up to Mafuyu and patted her on the head. 'And back-up too,' he whispered softly so only she would hear.

Mafuyu felt a glow of pleasure as she stared at Takaomi's receding back. _I remember now why I always chased that mean Takaomi back when I was young. It wasn't to become stronger, or because I wanted an older brother, or because I liked to be bullied._ She sighed, touching her head. _I only wanted Takaomi…to tell me he was proud of me. Yes, more than anything else, I wanted Takaomi's praise._

* * *

**Yay! Natsuo is here! My favourite cross-dresser finally makes her (his?) appearance! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, hopefully not long before the next one is up! ^.^**


	8. Chapter 8: A Letter, a Bun & a Doll

**Hello wonderful readers! Another chapter greets you! This one will focus on Mafuyu and Okegawa's relationship...**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: A Letter, a Bun & a Doll**

_How do you do, Darling Strawberry Love?_ Mafuyu wrote on the paper. _It's been a while since we wrote to each other, because of my school transfer. But these Ladyship lessons are amazing! I've been swept up in a storm of love every day. Just yesterday, I was in a love battle with the school's heartthrob…_ Mafuyu stopped. Actually, it was a violent fight to take down the Chief of the delinquent squires, but there was no way she was writing that! _Anyways, my life is like a romantic comedy play. I'll inform you when my Prince Charming gallops into my life! I wait faithfully for your reply, Beloved Snow White. _'Ah…finally finished,' Mafuyu sighed.

'What did you finish?' Takaomi appeared at her shoulder.

'EH!' she yelled. 'Takaomi, how did you get in?'

'You're door was open.'

'You can't just waltz in like that,' she said. He snatched her letter. 'Hey, give it back!'

'What is this? It's a letter full of lies…yuck, storm of love?'

She snatched it back. 'I have a very girly letter-friend!'

'Letter-friend? You mean, a person whom you send letters to without even knowing them? Someone actually has to read this horrible stuff?'

'Well, Darling Strawberry Love also writes in the same fashion!'

Takaomi snatched another piece of paper. 'Oh really? _I bought tea leaves today, they smell funny and make you want to dance_,' he read out. '_So I made my own dance. It goes like this: twirl, bow, twirl, curtsy…_' he stifled a laugh. _This person is just as stupid as Mafuyu!_ 'Where does this girl come from?'

Mafuyu shrugged. 'Somewhere around here…probably.'

_You don't know?! _He gaped. 'Don't you have her address?'

'Nope.'

_Is she imagining a friend? Is she that desperate?_

'Ah, Josephine! You're here! Takaomi, she's the messenger.'

Takaomi looked up to see a pigeon fly in through the window. _Pigeon mail? It actually exists?!_ 'How did you become pen pals? And Josephine? What a name!'

'I don't know her name, so I call her Josephine, and she responds well,' Mafuyu pursed her lips. 'I was walking one day when I saw a drowning pigeon. I saved her only to find a note attached to her leg. It was illegible because the ink had dissolved, so I sent a message telling the owner to be more careful. A few days later the pigeon returned with a response…and so our friendship began!'

He stared at her. 'Whatever,' he muttered, pulling out something from his robes and tossing it over. 'I found this for you.'

'Oh!" Mafuyu held the mask up. 'You found a Lady Bunny-man mask!' She lifted another mask; this one was the face of a freakish demon rabbit. 'I was going to wear this instead.'

_I should have let her wear the demon one, it's funnier._ Takaomi shook his head. 'By the way, Okegawa's punishment was decided.'

* * *

_Four days of suspension_, Mafuyu thought as she took a stroll outside. _I feel a little guilty. I remember when I was suspended, I had to write essays and such…t was torture._ She bumped into someone and stepped back. 'Ah, pardon me…'

Okegawa stared down at her, dressed in casual attire and carrying sweet buns. 'Oh look, it's Enigma.'

_Chief Okegawa?!_ 'I thought you were suspended! And what's with calling me Enigma?!'

'Well, I though the nickname suited you. Since you know Tap Code so well and frankly, I feel this strong aura from you, yet you look so weak. So you're a real enigma of a girl, Enigma,' he shrugged. 'And I am suspended; I just wanted some sweet buns.'

_What's the point of suspension then? The Palace is too lenient with its rules!_

'Do you want some?' he held out a bun.

_He's even offering? How nice!_

She nibbled on the bread as the two of them sat on the grass. 'I…I think I'm really weak,' Okegawa said suddenly. 'I lost to such a tiny squire!'

_If I said he was beaten by a girl, he might hang himself,_ Mafuyu licked her lips. 'It's all about luck!' she said. She felt a little guilty.

'So it was all thanks to Lady Luck I became Chief, huh?'

_Oh, he's taking it the wrong way! He's so pessimistic! _Mafuyu swallowed. _And I feel so guilty, because it's my fault! _'Um, why don't we go somewhere to change the mood?'

* * *

'Why are we at a theatre?' Okegawa muttered, standing outside the large hall entrance. 'I'm suspended. Walking in public is probably all the freedom I have right now.' He began walking away. Mafuyu grabbed his arm.

'Then I will…I will protect you!' she declared.

He blinked, and whacked her on the head. 'A Lady shouldn't say things like that!' _What's this strange, weird fluttering feeling in my chest?_ he wondered.

'Ow,' Mafuyu rubbed her head.

'What are we watching?' Okegawa asked, looking away.

Mafuyu's face lit up. 'An action play, or comedy, or action comedy!'

'I don't care…' his eyes wondered, stopping on a poster. 'This…wait here, Enigma! I'll buy the tickets!'

_Is it an action play? That may make him feel better._ Mafuyu pondered. _I'll find out soon enough._

* * *

'That was such a wonderful movie…' Okegawa sniffed, his eyes full of joy.

'Um…yeah…' Mafuyu said, a little shocked. What they had just seen was a children's – that's right, _children's!_ – puppet show named Sir Nekomata. Who is this Sir Nekomata? Some cat-like animal who speaks English and teaches kids the morals of life through dance and song! 'Chief, you're actually very soft, aren't you?'

'Eh?' Okegawa glared at her, grabbing her head. 'I'm not soft! I'm manly! Sir Nekomata is manly! Didn't you see how manly he was when he tried to stop crying when he said bye to his best friend?! I wouldn't have been able to stop!'

'Ah, okay Chief. Whatever you say, Chief,' she turned but felt her arm being grabbed.

'Enigma, look!' he pointed to a nearby stall. In the stall was a row of targets and a whole shelf full of stuffed toys and sweets. Her eyes stopped at a familiar cat-like toy. 'I can win a Sir Nekomata doll!'

_How did this person become the Chief of delinquents…?_

Okegawa tossed a copper coin to the stall holder and notched an arrow.

He pulled back but just before he shot, his eyes widened. The arrow flew awkwardly, missing the target entirely. 'This…bow…' his face was clearly disappointed.

'What's wrong?' Mafuyu approached him, taking the bow. The second she held it, she knew that it was of _very_ poor quality. The string wasn't tight enough, the balance was way off and there was no way to properly notch an arrow. Any normal person wouldn't have realised all these mistakes, but anyone who was trained in archery would feel it in seconds. She sighed. This was to be expected. This was a stall held by people who wanted to trick others into giving up their money. There was no way any archer would be able to hit the centre of the target. Mafuyu's lips drew back in a smile.

'Pardon me, may I have a turn?'

The stall holder nodded. 'It's three shots per copper, miss.' She could see him grinning.

Okegawa stared at her as she notched an arrow took a deep breath, aiming for the centre. She winced as she let go of the arrow, knowing it would be off mark. It flew a metre up and a little to the left. Okegawa clicked his tongue.

'Enigma, give me a turn…' he said but she shook her head, getting the last arrow ready. She aimed at the target, then adjusted her position. Okegawa stared at her. 'What are you doing? You won't hit it like that!'

'Watch me,' she muttered. _Thump_. Okegawa gaped as the arrow quivered…embedded right in the centre.

_This girl…she isn't normal!_

It was true. Mafuyu wasn't a normal lady. Would a normal lady train herself in archery hours on end since she was old enough to hold a bow just to impress a certain boy who lived next door to her? No, she wouldn't. Mafuyu was an expert. One shot told her the capabilities of the bow. The next would land exactly where she wanted it to. It was another quality that made her into an excellent Knight.

The stall holder stared at her.

'I'd like that one, please,' she pointed to Sir Nekomata. He handed it to her silently, his eyes wide in shock. Such a tiny lady had made a shot only a handful of people the man knew could make! They widened further when she held the doll out to the tall man standing next to her. The toy was for him?! Just what was this couple?!

'Enigma…amazing,' Okegawa blinked.

'Take it,' Mafuyu smiled. _Instead of bossing me around, he's really making me smile. It's kind of fun to hang out with him…_

Okegawa extended his hand…and the doll was grabbed by a third hand. A bunch of thugs dressed in tattered overalls laughed, their leader tossing the doll in his hand.

'The fearsome Chief of delinquents from the renowned Palace is here, taking a doll from a lady who won it for him?!' he spat, throwing the doll on the ground and stepping on it. 'How stupid!'

Mafuyu trembled, but not with fear.

'You're suspended, right? Ha! That means you can't fight back, or you'll get expelled!' he chortled. 'Why don't we teach you a lesson for the time your guys roughed our guys up a bit, huh? That's right, you will be our punching bag!'

Mafuyu clenched her fists, her anger boiling. _These filthy humans…I'll teach THEM a lesson!_ She drew her fist back and brought it forward.

_POW!_ The leader went flying a good three metres. Mafuyu blinked. _That wasn't me!_ she looked over her shoulder. Okegawa towered over her, his eyes glinting with…pleasure. He flexed his fist.

'Don't touch other people's property,' he said calmly. 'But I guess telling idiots like you is useless. And I won't get expelled,' he chuckled. '_Because you won't be able to speak after I'm through with you._'

Mafuyu watched the scene in silent horror. _I never thought I would see anyone fight like that again…excluding Takaomi of course…_

Those five minutes enlightened Mafuyu. In those minutes, she realised why Okegawa was worthy of being the Chief.

_Mother_, she thought, gulping, _it has been a long time since I have seen such a one sided fight. I guess I could compare it to a hunt. One rabid wolf feasting on a bunch of rabbits. Blood flowing on the ground. This is truly a picture of Hell._

'Should we call the Royal Guard?' she heard one man mutter, watching from the sidelines.

Mafuyu felt the blood drain from her face. She grabbed the doll and Okegawa's hand, pulled him, running away at full speed.

'Enigma! What are you doing? I can't do something cowardly like run away!' he yelled, slightly blushing at her tight grip on his hand.

Mafuyu screwed her eyes shut. Images of squires…her friend from Higashi…flashed in her mind. She stopped running and turned to Okegawa, hitting him on the head. He looked at her, surprised.

'If you get caught, you'll be expelled!' she sobbed. 'Then you won't be able to see your friends ever again…like me…we're friends now, aren't we? If you're expelled, we won't be able to see each other! That's too sad!'

Okegawa bit his lip. 'Oh…I'm sorry…'

'As long you understand, it's fine,' she grabbed his arm and started running again. 'Besides,' she winked at him. 'They say those who run are the true winners, because they survive to fight another day.'

Okegawa smiled, thinking. 'I wonder….I think I saw a play like this once, but I don't recall the name…anyway, that would make _you_ the prince. But, I guess that's not a bad thing…'

_Monologues,_ Mafuyu thought, _are supposed to be said in your head! I heard it all! Why am I the prince…? Well, I guess you really are a softie, Chief._

When they were far enough, Mafuyu handed him the doll. It was mud-stained and ripped, its stuffing spilling out. 'I'm sorry, this condition… Chief, do you always get into fights?'

Okegawa nodded. 'The Chief of delinquents is the face of the raw strength the Palace has. Right now, the situation is unsteady. It's fine as long as people still think I'm the Chief, but sooner or later the truth's going to be out. Face it, I was beaten by a small kid.'

Mafuyu's face drained. _Are you serious?!_

Okegawa patted her head. 'But…I'm gonna fight anyone who wants to, for now. So,' he turned around, placing the doll on his shoulder. 'Hang out with me again, okay?'

'Yes sir!' Mafuyu smiled. _Chief, you may be a romanticist, but you can be a man too._

* * *

Okegawa strolled down the road. A shadow fell over him and he looked up to see a familiar pigeon fly over to him, landing on his hand. 'Oh, Torikichi, I was wondering where you had got to!' he smiled, picking the envelope clenched in the pigeon's beak. 'Oh!' his face lit up, 'It's a letter from _Beloved Snow White_! I must quickly reply….'

_Ex-Chief of delinquents, Kyoutaro Okegawa. Hobbies: writing letters and practising Tap Code. Exchanges letters with Beloved Snow White through Pigeon Mail._

_Pen Name: Darling Strawberry Love._

_He is a true romanticist._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it! Ah, Mafuyu...you and your archery skills... Unfortunately, I've been swamped with work lately. Chapters may not be up as soon as I'd like them to be, but please hang on! I will try my best, and I will never give up! Expect the next chapter not far too long from now! Thank you for your continued support, dear readers. :D**


	9. Chapter 9: The Rabbit Hunt

**Uwaaa~~ Finally, chapter 9 is here! I'm so sorry for the delay...I've been so busy lately... But enough about me. Enjoy this latest chapter, my dear readers!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: The Rabbit Hunt**

Hayasaka sighed, his eyes wandering to the group of squires just a few feet away from him. They were involved in a fistfight that started because one of them bumped into the other and didn't apologise. He sighed again, leaning against the Palace wall. He heard a twig crack, and his head swerved. No…it was just a squirrel, scurrying away from the quarrel.

_Face it, Hayasaka. Just because there's a fight, doesn't mean that your hero is going to arrive._ Hayasaka smiled dreamily, his eyes widening. _Wait, if I want to see her so much, instead of her coming to me why don't I go to her?_ He grinned. So it was decided. He would search under every stone in the Palace to find this fair maiden, and he would succeed.

* * *

'Hayasaka, what are you doing?' Mafuyu drawled in a very unladylike manner. She was sitting in a Palace sewing room with a dozen other ladies. In her hands were a needle and thread and a square piece of cloth she had to stitch a design on. All he lady friends were halfway through their handkerchiefs; some doing roses and leaves, the more gifted trying their hand at horses and people. Mafuyu had done nothing. All she could ever draw were battle plans, and there was no way she was stitching a sword and shield onto her future handkerchief. So she had looked up for a second to see a familiar blonde boy open the door and peek through. The sewing instructress looked at her disapprovingly, then turned her gaze to the boy.

'Pardon me, my ladies,' he bowed. Mafuyu blinked. This was the first time she had seen Hayasaka _bow_. 'I'm here to call upon Lady Kurosaki for her assistance in a matter, with Advisor Saeki's permission.'

'Oh, is he courting her?' Mafuyu heard someone whisper behind her. 'But he looks so handsome! And so clean!'

Mafuyu's eyes brightened. Hayasaka, her friend, had come to save her in her time of need! Was it another job for the Juvenile Guard?

'Very well,' the instructress puffed. 'Lady Kurosaki, you may be excused.'

Mafuyu curtsied and slowly walked over to Hayasaka, making sure to be extra ladylike. The other ladies already thought of her as a little…weird. Just the other day, a dastardly mosquito had flown through the open window and all the girls screamed, one even fainting. Mafuyu had carefully stalked up to the pest…and had slapped it, wiping the red smudge on the red part of her corset and flicking the dead body off her hand. They had looked at her through a different light ever since.

'Kurosaki,' Hayasaka closed the door once she was out and pressed his lips together. 'I need your help.'

'So what does Advisor Saeki wish from us this time?' Mafuyu folded her arms. She was slightly grateful to Takaomi, in truth. Only yesterday he had approached her after class and slipped her a familiar ceramic mask. She had asked him where he had found another rabbit mask identical to the one she had used on her first day of class, and he replied that he had found a storeroom full of them! _At least now I don't have to cross-dress,_ Mafuyu thought.

'Well, I kind of…_lied_,' Hayasaka averted his gaze. 'The bell will sound soon anyway.'

'…huh?'

'You see, there's this person I really want to meet, and I think it's better if we work together,' Hayasaka muttered. 'So I used Saeki as an excuse to get you out of class. Urgh…I even had to bow.'

'You…you used Saeki as an excuse?!' Mafuyu stared at him. 'I will attend your funeral,' she said, patting him on the back. 'Good luck.'

'Hey, stop acting like my life is over! Moreover, you're just leaving me like that?' he grabbed her shoulders. 'I need to find a girl!'

Mafuyu was silent, then her eyes began twinkling. 'Oooooh, Hayasaka, _you're in love!_'

'No, I'm not!' Hayasaka's faced tinged with pink. 'I look up to her, that's all!'

'What's her name?' Mafuyu pressed.

'Uh…I'm not sure…but she calls herself something…'

Mafuyu raised an eyebrow. 'What do you mean?' she gulped. She sure hoped he wasn't talking about…

'Lady Bunny-man. The girl I want to meet is Lady Bunny-man.'

* * *

_What am I doing?_ Mafuyu thought._ I'm helping my friend try and find a girl who doesn't even exist. I'm getting his hopes up for no reason_. The bell for the end of classes had rung not long ago, so Hayasaka had insisted they go investigate. 'I still think this is a bad idea,' she mumbled as the two of them approached a group of young squires in dirty uniforms. 'Weren't these the people that Lady Bunny-man beat to a pulp?'

'Yes, so I'm going to ask them if they know where she is!' Hayasaka grinned and practically _pranced_ over to the thugs. 'Hey, guys!'

'Oh, it's Hayasaka,' one grumbled. 'You haven't been fighting nowadays. And you're always hanging out with a girl. What are you, a wimp?'

Hayasaka completely ignored the comment. 'Do you remember that masked girl, the one who beat you up?'

The boy's expression changed from intimidating to intimidated. 'How could I forget?' he whispered as Hayasaka sat down next to him.

'I remember,' another piped up, 'she was really strong.'

'Thinking back on it,' a third muttered, 'was she human?'

_No, she was human!_ Mafuyu screamed internally.

'She couldn't be. That strength was freaky. Maybe one of the rabbits in the Palace garden transformed?'

_Are you stupid?! She was definitely human!_

'I used to bully them!' the first muttered. 'Revenge?'

'So it's your fault!' the second pointed. 'Ah, where are you going?' he asked as Hayasaka stood up.

'To give my thanks,' he said, walking away. Mafuyu followed him to the Palace garden, where he stood in front of the rabbit cage. A rabbit hopped up to him, twitching its nose.

_Oh no, Hayasaka. You're not…_

He bowed deeply. 'Lady Bunny-man, you have my deepest feelings of gratitude. It is a pleasure to finally meet you once again.'

Okay, Hayasaka bowing twice in one day? And the second time to a rabbit? It was too much for Mafuyu to take.

'Hayasaka,' she stared at him, her face ashen. 'Stop being a creep and fall in love with a real human,' she screamed, then ran away.

Hayasaka blinked out of his reverie. _She's right! What am I doing?! Lady Bunny-man being a magical rabbit must be wrong…_he screwed his eyes shut. _If I remember correctly…she was a human…she was wearing a dress but…_an image of a rabbit mask flashed in front of his eyes. _All I remember is the mask!_

* * *

'Takaomi, what should I do…?' Mafuyu moaned, beating her fists against his desk.

'So, Hayasaka has fallen in love with Lady Bunny-man, and you don't know what to do?'

'Precisely,' Mafuyu pouted. 'Wait…what if I tell him I'm Lady Bunny-man?' her eyes brightened. 'That way, he won't see her as anything but a friend, right? Because he'll know it's me!'

'I don't think that will work,' Takaomi started but when he looked up, Mafuyu was already out the door. Takaomi sighed. _Great. Just great._

* * *

Mafuyu ran at full speed, halting when she saw a familiar blonde head. 'Hayasaka!' she yelled.

Hayasaka looked back at her; he was holding up a scroll to another person. 'Oh, hey Kurosaki! You're just in time. I realised that if I want to find my hero, I need to make the matter public!' he held up the paper. It had a crudely drawn picture of a girl in a rabbit mask. 'Help me ask people if they have seen her!'

'Hayasaka, you're drawing skills are amazing,' she muttered. 'Ah, no, moreover, you don't need to go to such lengths! Lady Bunny-man is –'

_Bonk._

All the ladies and squires stopped what they were doing and stared.

Mafuyu's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she would have slumped to the floor if Advisor Saeki hadn't slipped his arms around her waist and supported her up. In his other hand, he held a thick scroll.

'Hey, Lady Kurosaki, haven't you been eating? Collapsing from exhaustion so easily!' he chuckled.

_But it was your fault!_ everyone thought.

'Okay, someone carry her to the nurse's room,' he said.

'No! Do you know how heavy an unconscious person can be?' people complained. 'You carry her!'

'Fine,' he rolled his eyes. Everyone looked in anticipation of how he was going to carry her; would it be the legendary princess-carry, where the man held the lady beneath her knees and shoulders so romantically?

No, of course not. This was Advisor Saeki! Instead, he lifted her up…and flung her over his shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes.

The students' jaws dropped. 'Advisor! Carry her properly!'

* * *

_Ohh, my head…_ Mafuyu groaned. She was in an uncomfortable position, too. Something was pressing against her shoulders, and something was under her knees as well… Her eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring at a handsome albeit familiar face.

'T…Takaomi?!' she squealed, squirming in his arms. Her face flamed when she realised that he had been carrying her _princess style_! 'Why are you carrying me?!'

'Oh, good, you're awake,' he muttered and let go of her in mid-air. Her reflexes had her hit the ground on her feet, but she didn't appreciate his rough handling. 'I wanted to toss you over my shoulder but all the ladies and squires were complaining, saying that it was setting a bad example.'

She glared at him, her blush dying down. 'Why did you hit me?'

'You can't tell Hayasaka you the rabbit girl.'

'It's Lady Bunny-man! And why not?' she asked, biting her lip. 'I feel so guilty. He's going to such lengths…'

'Because Hayasaka is an idiot,' he said bluntly. 'If you tell him you're the rabbit, then he's going to tell everyone. And then you'll get expelled and have to spend you days rotting in the streets.'

'I don't think…'

'How long have you known him? No, I don't care,' he waved his hand. 'The fact is, I've known him longer. And just because he's passable in his studies doesn't mean he's good at other things. He looks up to the rabbit, and if he finds out it's you he will never treat you the same again. Keep that in mind.'

'Then what should I do?' Mafuyu sighed.

Takaomi opened his drawer and took out another ceramic rabbit mask. 'I have an idea,' he grinned.

* * *

'So this concludes our lesson,' the advisor in front of the class nodded, packed up his things and hurriedly left the room, eager to get out of the clamouring classroom.

Mafuyu sighed. 'History is such a waste of God given time. Ah, no pun intended!' she giggled.

'Well, that was a very interesting lesson,' Hayasaka mused, slipping his hand under his desk to put his scroll away. His eyes widened. 'What's this…?' he pulled out two ceramic rabbit masks. Attached to the back with a piece of string was a small paper scroll. Hayasaka stared at it, then fervently ripped it free and began reading it. 'Dear my lovely devotee Squire Hayasaka…' he muttered. His eyes skimmed the paper and a smile formed on his face. 'Oh, Kurosaki, this is magnificent!'

'What happened?' Mafuyu asked, though she already knew, of course. She was the one who had planted the goods.

'Lady Bunny-man has written here that she is "also part of the Juvenile Guard" and she is "a shadow member focused on serving justice to those who need it". I shouldn't come to look for her, if need be she will find me,' his eyes sparkled. 'As proof of our camaraderie, she has bestowed upon us these two rabbit masks. Wherever there is a fight, she will be there… she says "A rabbit I am, a rabbit I am not". Oh, Lady Bunny-man…' Hayasaka sighed dreamily. 'Oi, Kurosaki, isn't it wonderful? I mean, I really wanted to meet her. What kind of amazing woman is she? What beauty lies beneath that mask? If I ever find her, I will ask her. I will let the whole world know of her splendour!'

Mafuyu took the mask he offered her. It was actually her own and now, if he were to even find it, he wouldn't suspect her. She reddened at his praise but knew that it was for the best her identity remained a secret.

'Come on, Hayasaka. Let's get something to eat,' she pulled his arm.

'How can you be hungry at a time like this?' he laughed. 'But fine, because I'm in a good mood, I'll accompany you.'

She gave him a small smile. _Yeah, Hayasaka, be in a good mood. You may not know she's me, but you don't have to. The Juvenile Guard will stand strong as long as we are by each others side!_

* * *

**And so concludes this chapter!**** I do hope you enjoyed it, wonderful readers. Constructive criticism is welcome; it's how I can improve! Next chapter shouldn't be too long... Spoiler: Mafuyu goes back home! But what awaits here there? Oooo... :D**_  
_


	10. Chapter 10: Home Bitter Home

**Hello wonderful readers! How is everyone? ^.^ In this chapter, our cute Mafuyu visits her old hometown. But what awaits her there...?**

**EDIT: 'Kenkawa' changed to 'Kangawa'. A big thanks to Murayama-Tsuru for informing me that 'Kenkawa' is actually read as 'Kangawa'! ^.^**

**If there is anything else, please let me know through a review. Thank you!**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Home Bitter Home**

_Clop clop clop…_the chestnut mare walked through the stone arch, entering the main courtyard of the town of Higashi. The rider took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling as they feasted on the familiar sights before her.

_Dear mother_, Mafuyu thought, smiling, _you're daughter has received a few days off from Palace Lessons due to the birthday of a high court official. Aren't you happy? You're daughter has come to see you now!_ _Ah, I wonder how you will react to this pleasant surprise!_

Lady Kurosaki – the _actual_ Lady Kurosaki, Mafuyu's mother – was a woman who had secured a seat in the court of the Palace of Higashi and married a noble. She was talented and beautiful…and very, _very_ scary. Her daughter was the girl who had been knighted at the tender age of fifteen – the first female and one of the youngest to have reached knighthood. As if that wasn't enough for the noblewoman to handle, her daughter had been caught taking part in nearly starting a war between Higashi and their neighbouring city Nishi, and thus was stripped of her position. Lady Kurosaki had been _very_ disappointed.

'Mafuyu Kurosaki,' her mother's powdered face twitched as she looked down at her daughter, both of them standing in the Palace square. 'You dare to come back? Am I to assume you failed again?!'

'No, no dear Mother!' Mafuyu shook her head. 'I have merely come back for a few days!'

Her mother's eyes softened. 'Oh, that's fine news. Have you made any friends?'

Mafuyu nodded, an image of Hayasaka popping in her head. 'Oh, yes! I already have an amazing friend. My friend is a very kind and honest person who cares about me and enjoys embroidery!' It was true – Hayasaka had helped her complete her handkerchief in return for her helping him try and find Lady Bunny-man. He was surprisingly good at it and the mistress was very pleased at the work, thinking it was Mafuyu's. Ah, but her description made Hayasaka…sound like a girl, didn't it?

'Such wonderful news!' her mother smiled. 'I knew you could do it, Mafuyu. When you were a delinquent, all the ladies ran away from you, you know? Always surrounded by smelly squires who weren't even courting you…how disgusting. Anyway, don't just stand here. You might as well go around the town and do something ladylike. I have business to attend to.'

'Yes, Mother, goodbye!' Mafuyu curtsied and walked away as gracefully as she could. And so Mafuyu Kurosaki went to sightsee, completely unaware of the pair of eyes watching her with menace.

* * *

'So she's back?' he muttered, an evil smile creeping onto his face.

'Yes, I swear I saw her!' the squire nodded. 'But…she kinda looks…sorta cute now, you know?'

'Wasn't she arrested for murder or something?' another asked.

'Didn't she escape from prison? Faked her death or something, right?'

'No, I thought that she was a vigilante now. Turned to the good side or something after a traumatic experience?'

'You idiots!' he roared. 'Where did you get such absurd stories from? She's an amateur. She got caught by Higashi's General, that stupid woman. But she must have heard the news. Her subordinates probably went crawling to her, so now we have her within our grasp,' he chuckled and his squires looked at him in awe. 'Yes…Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki, you will fall!'

* * *

As soon as her mother was out of sight, Mafuyu sighed. 'That went well,' she muttered, walking out of the Palace gates. 'It's not my fault ladies ran away from me. I mean, girls are so delicate!' she smiled. 'They are so sweet smelling and wonderful, like angels! Ah, how I wish I could meet a beautiful girl, or become friends with one! How should I start the conversation?' Mafuyu stopped walking, pondering. '_Excuse me, miss, but you're ravishing beauty caught my eye. May I entertain you to a drink?_' Then she slapped herself. _What am I, a knight courting a lady?!_ Her neck prickled, as if someone was watching her. Mafuyu's head suddenly snapped to the left.

Nothing.

_It's good to see no unruly behaviour,_ Mafuyu thought. The towns of Nishi and Higashi were close neighbours, and in the past delinquents from these towns used to bother each other so much that soon, their squabbles escalated into a full out war. The authorities did what they could, but in the end, Higashi's informal army won, under the leadership of Dame Kurosaki. Since then, rules like 'no mugging' and such were enforced. Sure, they had been enforced by delinquents, but they were good rules.

'I said unhand me, you vagabond!'

Mafuyu ducked, looking around the corner. The lady squealed, trying to pull away from a dirty squire's grasp. Half a dozen other boys laughed, pointing at her. A mugging? And those squire uniforms….they were from the Nishi Palace! What were Nishi squires doing committing crimes in Higashi walls?!

The girl cried, her pretty face in agony. 'Somebody, please, help me!'

Mafuyu didn't even need to think. She started to rush to the girl's aid, but tripped on her skirts. _Wait, Mafuyu, what are you doing?!_ she berated herself. _What if your mother sees you? And you can't fight in these frills anyway…_

A squire who was laughing at the girl turned around, suspicious. 'Is someone there? Hey guys, I thought I heard a noise.'

The boy who held the girl jerked his head. 'Go check it out then. We don't want to get caught.'

The squire shrugged, walking out of view…and he didn't come back.

_Whack!_

Silence.

'Hey, what's going on there?' Another one walked out. He didn't come back.

The rest were getting nervous now. 'Whoever it is, come out!' the leader said hesitantly. A figure appeared before him, wearing their uniform…and the person was…

'A girl? Wearing a squire's tunic?' before the boy could laugh, Mafuyu's knuckles were breaking his nose. In seconds, it was over, the ground littered in unconscious Nishi boys.

'I didn't know I would have to cross-dress again so soon. I hate cross-dressing. And cross-dressers. They're such weird people…' Mafuyu turned to the girl to bow, but stepped back when she realised the girl was glaring at her.

'Hate cross-dressers, do you?' she fumed. 'Well, how about this?!' she started removing her corset.

'Uh, my lady, please, what are you doing?!' Mafuyu blushed running up to her and holding her hands to stop her. The girl glared some more.

'Let me go, Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki!' she yelled. She reached towards her head… and ripped her hair off.

'Aaaahhhh!' Mafuyu squealed, falling back to see…a soft featured boy wearing a corset. 'Ah…ah aha ha….you…you are…'

'We have you surrounded, Dame Kurosaki,' he sniggered. Mafuyu looked around her. It was true; half a dozen more Nishi squires had appeared around her. 'Good night!' the cross-dresser smirked, and before she could react, a boy behind her lifted the hilt of his sword and brought it down on her head.

* * *

'Oohhh…my head,' Mafuyu blinked. 'Where am I?' she mumbled. Her hands and legs had been tied by ropes, the rough material grazing her skin. _No, my beautiful skin!_ she moaned.

'Nishi,' a boy with a mop of light brown hair came into her view. He was short and he looked weak, but she knew him. 'Do you remember me, Dame?'

'Of course,' Mafuyu chuckled. 'Nishi High's youngest knight, Barracuda, right?'

He scowled. 'It's Sakurada! Sir Asahi Sakurada! How does that even resemble Barracuda?!'

'You're as useful as a barracuda. I can eat you for breakfast any day. You're that crazy guy who came to challenge me to a duel one day, but left your makeup on since you were cross-dressing shortly before, right?' she smiled. 'What an idiot.'

'You're the idiot,' he spat. 'You're so easily attracted by women. It's true, I _am_ more beautiful than you, even as a girl. But here you are, Dame, cross-dressing before me as well! And you don't even have a wig; what a failure.' He tossed something at her face. 'Take it, you idiot. Ha ha! But it's not like you can wear it with your hands tied!'

'Don't call me Dame,' she frowned, staring at the boy's wig that had been thrown at her. 'I lost that title. What do you want from me, Barra…uh, Sakurada?'

Sakurada leaned in closer to her, so close she could smell the lavender scent he had sprayed on himself. 'Nishi and Higashi are going to fight again, and we have kept you hostage, since you were their previous leader. So just sit tight and enjoy the show, _loser_. I have a battle to win.' Chortling, he stepped out of the stone room she was in, his subordinates that were waiting outside locking the door behind him.

'Damn him,' she sighed, closing her eyes. _A hostage? Does that mean I am disadvantaging my army? No, at least those two are there. I can leave it to them…_

_Clatter._

'Who's there?' Mafuyu roared, looking behind her. Two boys looked back at her, one with black hair and the other with brown. Her mouth dropped. She knew these boys. And the fact that they were here was very bad.

'D…Dame…' the black haired boy licked his lips. 'How's it going? You look great in those clothes…'

* * *

In Higashi, there resided three of the strongest juvenile knights the province had ever seen. The third strongest, aged sixteen, was Sir Yuuto Maizono, a fearsome man who loved pain. Number two was seventeen year old Sir Kouhei Kangawa, a merciless knight rumoured to have once bathed in the blood of his victims. And the most terrifying of them all was fifteen year old Dame Mafuyu Kurosaki; it was said that if you so much as made eye contact with her, you had to run away as far as possible and pray for your life.

So then why were these fearsome people meeting each other again – in a very long time – in the prison of one of the weakest knights in the country?

The answer was simple. They were all idiots.

* * *

'Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, we missed you so much!' Kangawa grinned. 'You cut your hair? It looks absolutely wonderful!'

'Dame, what are you doing here?' Maizono enquired.

'That's my line!' Mafuyu fumed. 'How did my two best knights get captured?'

'Oh, they said there was a sale on armour,' Kangawa laughed.

'This is no laughing matter, stupid!'

'They hit me, and I like pain,' Maizono fluttered his eyelids.

'How the hell are you one of Higashi's strongest?!' Mafuyu groaned. 'First things first, we need to get free. If only I hadn't been knocked out, I could have tightened my muscles when they bound me, creating more space and then slipping out of my bonds.' _Takaomi also told me that in some situations, people were known to have dislocated their wrist joints, but there was no way I am attempting that!_ 'How about you guys, you did that too right? Those are delinquency basics.'

'We…didn't know we could do something like that,' Maizono stated.

'You worthless pigs! You dare to call yourselves knights? If I had a blade I would slay you where you sto-ooh,' Mafuyu cleared her throat. This was bad. She was starting to talk like a ruffian again, spending time around these men. She couldn't lose the ladylike behaviour she had worked so hard to achieve! 'Anyway, then we need to beat someone up who has a knife and free ourselves.' She walked to the door and rammed her shoulder into it to create a disturbance. Seconds later, it flung open and a Nishi squire appeared. Before he could complain, Mafuyu head-butted him in the face, knocking him out. She searched his pockets and found a knife, then cut herself free.

Kangawa looked at her in awe as she cut him loose. 'Wow, Dame, you are my hero!'

'Leave me tied,' Maizono pleaded. 'I love the sting of these tight ropes.'

'I'll stab you, Sir, if you don't obey me,' Mafuyu grumbled, freeing him. 'Now let's get out of this damned dungeon.' She picked up the wig by her feet. It was black horsehair. _Not exactly _Natsuo_ but at least if someone were to see me, my identity would be hidden_, she thought, securing the accessory in place. Her two subordinates stared at her.

'I didn't know you had that hobby, Dame,' Maizono said bluntly.

'Look, it's just so that nobody recognises me,' Mafuyu explained.

'Wow,' Kangawa's cheeks bore a slight blush. 'You look really great as a boy; as expected of the Dame.'

'Stop thinking such strange things!' Mafuyu shouted, smacking him on the head. She hid a smile. It felt nice, acting stupid with these boys. It brought back such great memories. _Back to business, Mafuyu. Let's get out of here._

'We need a plan,' Mafuyu whispered, gazing around the corner at the pair of squires loitering around in light armour. 'Barracuda's got us well guarded.' She squinted. Both were carrying swords. Not good. 'Sirs, I have a plan, although I don't really know if it's good enough. Someone needs to be the distraction and lure them away, while–'

'Oh, me, me!' Maizono pleaded. Before waiting for a reply, he charged out and started waving his hands around. 'Hey, squires! Over here, over here!' His eyes widened when the boys looked over. One of them unsheathed his blade, his expression surprised. 'Uh…Dame? Dame Mafuyu? The…they've got…swords… Swords hurt, Dame. They hurt a lot.'

'Sir Maizono, that idiot, always missing the details. How's he going to get out of this one alive?' Kangawa grimaced.

Mafuyu rubbed her face. _Oh dear Lord. We are in a pickle…_

* * *

**Yes, dear Mafuyu. You are indeed in a pickle.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for spending your precious time to read my work. Please, if you have the time, review so I can improve. Next chapter will be up soon...hopefully... .**


	11. Chapter 11: To Be Or Not to Be (A Lady)

**I...am very sorry. It has been over a month since I last posted... I've actually had this chapter ready for some time now, but was too busy to post it. Please forgive me! .  
**

**SHOUT OUT: Here's a shout out to J.G. Why? Because she wanted one! Yay! You're a great friend, J.G.! (You can check out her fanfic on Project K under LanternStars)  
**

**But enough about me! Please enjoy this (late) but hopefully entertaining chapter! :D  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: To Be Or Not to Be (a Lady)**

'Sir Kangawa,' Mafuyu looked at him, clutching a piece of rope. 'I have a plan. Do you think you and Sir Maizono can distract those two for a minute or so?'

'Of course, Dame,' Kangawa nonchalantly stepped out, coming up beside Maizono and into the sight of the two swordsmen. 'Sir, we are to…_distract_ these two so the Dame has time to do what she wishes.'

Maizono's shocked expression relaxed. 'Very well then, Sir.' He gazed at his companion. 'Does she want them alive?'

* * *

_Done._ Mafuyu lightened the knot on the rope. After tying all the ropes together, she had made a longer one she could – hopefully – use again to trip, strangle and tie her enemies. She had heard a few thumps, but then the noise had died down. She assumed the two had made a run for it, with the swordsmen chasing them. She sighed. _Now I'm going to have to find them, right? Such useless knights…_

She stepped out of the prison room and nearly dropped the rope.

Before her were the two bodies of the Nishi boys, out cold. And before them were her two 'useless' knights…playing marbles.

'It's time to count our marbles,' Kankawa said, then looked up. 'Oh, Dame, welcome! Do you want to play as well?'

Mafuyu stared. 'You…even drew up a circle…how long have you been playing?!'

'Ah, we just finished our first game. Don't worry, you can join in now,' Maizono said.

'That's not the point!' she looked at the bodies. _These men…defeated two swordsmen and had the time to play with clay marbles? Maybe I underestimated them. They _are _knights after all._ 'Forget it. Let's get out of here!'

Kangawa picked up one of the swords, weighing it. 'Broadsword,' he stated, eyes squinting. 'A cheap broadsword. It's not that heavy,' he shrugged, picking up the other one and tossing it to Maizono. The latter grabbed it by its hilt and then threw it at Mafuyu. She caught it with ease.

'Our lady needs the sword to protect herself. And I like being the shield anyway,' he purred.

Mafuyu glared at him, her fingers tightening on the hilt. It felt good to have a sword in her hand once again. She took in a deep breath, making a few experimental swipes and jabs. Her moves were a little rusty, but then again, sword fighting needed constant practise and she hadn't held one in months. 'Ah, how I love the way this blade slices the air…I feel like a Dame again.'

'Oh,' Kangawa cleared his throat. 'I…my apologies, _Lady_ Mafuyu. Through force of habit, I kept calling you Dame. But your position…'

Mafuyu winced, but nodded at him. 'Yes, I know. I...I know. Please, don't call me Dame. Now let's go back home.' The three made their way through the hallways and out onto the courtyard. 'Wait, there's a whole bunch of them over there,' Mafuyu hissed, ducking into a bush. Her two friends did the same. They looked at the crowd of squires fixing their armour in the corner of the courtyard. Tools like hammers and picks lay near them. There was even a black steed nearby, probably there to have its shoes measured. 'This is the closest exit. Nishi has a very small Palace… Ah, I have an idea!' Mafuyu beamed. 'But I'm going to have to tie you up again…'

* * *

'Hey you!'

Mafuyu flinched, turning around. 'What?' she said gruffly.

'What are you doing?' one of the squires asked. 'Aren't them guys from Higashi?'

'These idiots?' Mafuyu shoved the two men tied before her to get them to go faster. 'Yeah, I'm escorting them.'

'Where? Prison's the other way,' the squire's eyes narrowed. 'And why are ya carrying two swords? I haven't yer face before. What's yer name?'

_They haven't realised I'm a girl. Thank god,_ Mafuyu cleared her throat. 'What's it matter to ya?' she spat, pretending to be what she thought a rough-and-tough squire would be like. 'I ain't seen your face before neither! Sir Barracuda'll have my head if I don't deliver these knights to him.'

The squire shrugged, and started walking back. Just as Mafuyu was about to sigh in relief, he paused in his steps. 'Wait a second…Barracuda?' he turned around and gripped Mafuyu's shoulder. 'Only those Higashi dogs call my leader Barracuda,' he leaned in and looked at her closely. Then he grabbed Mafuyu's head and ripped her wig off, her brown bangs sweeping back onto her face. He stepped back. 'D…Dame…'

_Smack!_

The boy fell backwards and Mafuyu lowered her fist. 'Sorry, guys. My cover's blown,' she swallowed as a dozen squires picked up the instruments and weapons they were cleaning.

Maizono and Kangawa slipped out of their loose bindings. Kangawa flexed his fingers. 'Don't worry, Lady Mafuyu. For old times' sake, let's show these kids how you _really_ fight.'

Mafuyu grinned, unsheathing both swords, her eyes glinting. 'After all, we _are_ Higashi's strongest!'

* * *

The first who came at her was a boy in light armour, his sword raised high. He brought it down and she crossed her swords to block the blow, spinning on her heel and whacking the boy in the back with the fullers of her blades. The shock reverberated in his armour, and while he was stunned she cracked the pommel over his skull. An arrow whizzed past, a hair's breadth from her face, and as she turned around a well-built boy slashed at her. Her quick block saved her but sent both swords skittering away. Cursing under her breath, she went to tackle him but before she could, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped down at her feet.

Kangawa grinned at her from behind the body. 'Haven't practised in a long time, my lady?'

Mafuyu blushed as Kangawa engaged himself in another swordfight. _So I haven't practised. I can't exactly stretch my muscles like I used to, you know?_

Something in the corner of her eye caught her attention and she moved in time to avoid a jab from a dagger. The attacker was wearing normal squire overalls so Mafuyu had no trouble grabbing his arm and twisting it behind him. She wrenched the dagger out of his grasp and kicked his back so that he sprawled onto the ground. Another arrow flew towards her, grazing her hand. Wincing, she swiftly ran towards the archer while he fervently notched in another arrow. She swiped at him with the dagger but he dropped the arrow and hit her arm away with the bow. She lunged forward and grabbed his hair, bringing her knee up to meet up with his face.

'Lady Mafuyu,' Maizono raised an eyebrow as he smashed the head of a squire against a brick wall. 'You haven't lost your touch. Still a demon, I see. But if you ever need to practise, I will happily volunteer.'

'A _lady?!_' the squire Mafuyu had just taken down clutched his broken nose. 'That monster is a girl?!'

Mafuyu frowned. 'Not right now, I'm not. Can't you see my squire uniform?' she asked, then turned to her comrades. 'Is that the last of them?' She got her answer when she saw the courtyard covered with moaning bodies.

'Yes, Lady Mafuyu. Thank you for your assistance,' Kangawa bowed. 'Please, go back home,' he held Mafuyu's hand, turning it over and inspecting it. 'We don't want Lady Kurosaki to be worried.'

'Oh, damn it!' Mafuyu wiped her stinging hand on her clothes. 'If this scars, my mother will give me a bigger scar – across my throat!' she blinked. 'Go back home? What are you going to do?'

'We still have business to settle,' Maizono answered. 'Sir Sakurada challenged our leader to a duel, actually bothering to slap Sir Kangawa with his glove. So we…well; we're going to war…?'

'Why do you sound so unsure?' Mafuyu laughed. 'If it is war, let me join you!'

Kangawa grabbed her shoulders. 'Please, Lady Mafuyu, go back home. This is not your war. Not anymore.'

Mafuyu felt her chest tighten. 'So what, just because I'm no longer a Dame, I am not worth joining the fight? If you're worried about my mother, she won't find out. Nobody will recognise me with my disguise.'

'That's not the problem. I just…I don't know how to explain…' Kangawa scratched his head. 'Look, we care about you a lot and we want the best for you,' he said, taking the dagger out of her grip. 'So it's time you leave the fighting to the knights and squires. Otherwise, it would be troublesome, you know?'

'I'm not good enough?' she asked, fists clenched.

'Sir Kangawa, I don't think you're explaining it right,' Maizono intervened.

'No, no,' Mafuyu sighed. 'I get it. I'm not a Dame, I'm not worthy to fight. I…should get going. My lessons begin again in two days. It takes me just as long to get back to Midori ga Oka. After I say farewell to my mother, I will be on my way.' She looked up at her comrades. 'Thank you for this short adventure; it was fun. I wish you victory in the battle to come.'

'Mafu…' Kangawa reached out but Mafuyu had turned around, grabbing the reins of the stallion that had stood there, calmly watching the demise of its owners without a care in the world. One would have expected it to have shied away from Mafuyu's hands, but the girl mounted without any trouble.

'What a strange horse you are,' Mafuyu muttered. 'You knights can walk back!' she yelled, and pushed her new horse into a gallop, heading towards Higashi. She knew the road back well. She had been to Nishi far too many times before, in the past.

* * *

'Good horse,' Mafuyu patted the stallion as she dismounted at the Higashi Palace Stables. Looking around her for a stableboy, her eyes rested upon a fair maiden who was standing nearby. The girl's eyes were wide, staring at the horse. 'Good day, ma'am,' Mafuyu bowed deeply, eyebrow raised. She looked awfully familiar…

'Who are you, boy?' the girl spat, walking over. 'And what are you doing with my horse?! You're not one of my subordinates!'

Mafuyu squinted. 'Your horse? Ah, wait…Sir Barra – I mean, Sa-Sakurada, sir? What are you…?' Mafuyu grinned, holding back laughter as the powdered face before her reddened.

'You slimy little…I came here to find a good ride to fight on, instead I find you have stolen my trusted steed!' she scowled. 'I was doing some information gathering. Your filthy Higashi knights will talk to any pretty girl who twirls her hair at them!' Sakurada stomped up to Mafuyu and ripped Mafuyu's wig off. 'I'll take my wig and my horse back, thank you very much!'

Mafuyu stared. 'You're not surprised I escaped?'

Sakurada blinked. 'No. But I am surprised it took you this long. Capturing you was just a way of making me feel better. I knew it was pointless, really.' She – no, _he_ – began fumbling with his corset.

'Don't remove your clothes!'

'I'm a man, you idiot! Now strip! Let's at least let us swap our clothing.'

'I'm not going to remove my clothes in front of a man!'

Sakurada glared at her. 'I don't have time to go back to Nishi and I can't exactly fight in _this_. Just remove your tunic and wear this simple skirt and corset. We're both wearing undershirts, so it isn't inappropriate.'

Mafuyu hesitantly complied. 'Are you fighting on the usual grounds? The Higashi-Nishi Grasslands.'

'Where else?' Sakurada strapped on his boots. 'You're not coming, right?'

'I have no right to,' Mafuyu looked away. 'I am just a burden.'

'So that's how your knights think of you?' he snorted. 'I don't care either way. With or without you, we're going to win. Nishi has grown stronger since the time you left, _Lady_ Mafuyu.' He called his horse over with a click of his tongue and mounted. 'Till next time,' he smirked. 'I will make sure Higashi weeps this day.'

'We'll see,' Mafuyu smiled back. 'We'll see.'

* * *

Mafuyu unlocked the door to the room and placed the oil lamp by the bedside. She would spend the night in this inn, like she always did when she made the two day journey between Higashi and Midori ga Oka. She sighed, rubbing her back. Riding her horse – Sugar Sweet Poppy Seed – for a few hours was very tiresome on the backside. She never rode horses with both legs on one side like a lady. She did when there were people around, but when it was just her and Mother Nature, she preferred riding it the normal way. It was more comfortable, but still painful. And all she had to do was pull her dress up a bit. She was about to seat herself on her bed when someone rapped at her door. Groaning, she opened it.

A red faced boy looked back at her, his forehead glistening with sweat and his chest heaving. He was wearing a Higashi squire tunic. He lowered his head and handed her a scroll. 'This is for you, milady! Sir Kangawa was shocked to know that you had left straight away. He was expecting you to stay for longer so all the knights told me to catch up to you and give this to you, but it took some time to find you, milady,' he panted. 'Took a lot of running, it did. Anyway, they hoped you could come back. They couldn't come themselves because they had to go to battle.'

Mafuyu took the scroll, eyebrow raised. Wondering what it was, she thanked he squire but told him that if she went back now, she would miss her lessons. And if her mother found out that she had skipped… Mafuyu didn't need to finish the sentence. _Everyone_ knew how Lady Kurosaki was like. _Everyone_. The squire nodded vigorously. 'I understand, milady. I'll tell them.' And with that, he left.

Mafuyu unrolled the parchment.

_Dear Lady Mafuyu, why did you have to leave? Miss lessons for us, like you used to! Sir Kangawa is __an idiot__a stupid__a blockhead__ difficult to understand. You should know that. He can't express his feelings clearly. So we other knights decided to tell you what he really meant when he said it was troublesome to have you. The truth is you're an amazing person. And if you're by our side again when we ride into battle, we're afraid that instead of showing Nishi that we are strong even without our previous leader, we would have our previous leader there with us and end up depending on her! We wanted Nishi to fall by the hands of our new leader, and that she did. __Barra__ Sakurada will not bother us for some time now. He has seen firsthand how strong we are. And another thing: we really love you, Lady Mafuyu. We don't want you involved in anything troublesome that may ruin your chances for a normal life. What if your mother saw you __cross-dressing __fighting? We still want to play with you. We still want to laugh and drink with you. It's probably too late for you to come back by the time you get this, but visit again soon._

_And remember, you will always, ALWAYS be our Dame, no matter what your official title is._

_From the Knights and Squires of Higashi_

The ink smudged as the tears rolled of Mafuyu's face. She sniffed, bringing her arm um to cover her face. 'You idiots…' she pinched her nose, smiling. 'I will always be your Dame, huh?' She rolled up the scroll and placed it in her sack, looking out of her window. 'Well, I hope you know…you boys will _always _be my Knights.'

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this action-packed chapter! I was watching an action movie while writing this...**

**I'm going overseas next week for around five weeks, so I won't be able update then! But I will start writing the second I come back. Thank you for your support! .**


	12. Chapter 12: The Royal Invitation

**Ah, it's been so long since I've last written. I'm so sorry, but I realised that when one returns from a holiday to find work piled up, one has no time to post…. Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait, even though it is a little short… Thank you for your continued support. If it wasn't for my dear readers, I would never have reached chapter 12! Now on to the story! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 12: The Royal Invitation**

'_Wow_,' Mafuyu breathed, staring up at the huge tapestry hanging in front of her. The hand-stitched work of art depicted a great battle that had taken place centuries ago, yet the vibrant colours in the cloth really made the scene feel alive. Classes had finished and she felt the urge to walk around a little, deciding to wander the palace halls and hoping to discover anything interesting. And now her eyes feasted on the war before her. Swords clashing, war cries howling, bodies hitting the ground one by one…she could almost hear the horses canter, smell the rustic blood as the wind raked through her hair, feel the adrenaline…

'It's very detailed, isn't it?'

She jumped at the sound, pulled out of her fantasy, but recognised the speaker before her knightly instincts made her punch his guts out. 'Hayasaka!' she smiled, her muscles loosening. Ever since she had been back from her hometown, her knightly side had begun to show. She was even reminiscing about her own battles before being interrupted. _No, Mafuyu, tame yourself!_

'I stare at this every day,' Hayasaka murmured. 'Just look at that detail – can you see that doctor tending to that soldiers wounds? And that messenger, running to get to the army before the enemy?'

Mafuyu chuckled, amused by Hayasaka's wonder. 'Every day? You take a detour just to see this?'

'A detour?' he shook his head, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. 'No, I come this way every morning and afternoon. The boys' dorms are down the hall.'

'Oh?' Mafuyu perked up at this knowledge. 'Then…that means your room is there?' she beamed. 'Can I see it? Oh, I wonder how your room looks like! Do you have many weapons there? Is it tidy? Ah, do you have – '

'No!' Hayasaka stared. 'Are you kidding me? How can…how can I let a _girl_ into the boys' dorms?!'

'A girl….ahhh,' Mafuyu bit her lip. Back at Higashi, she was allowed into the knights' dorm because, well, she was a knight. And she didn't live there anyway. 'Sorry, I forgot.' An idea dawned on her and her face brightened. 'Hey, Hayasaka, why don't you come over to my place instead?'

Hayasaka looked at her as if she had just asked him to jump out of a window. 'No! Why would I do that?!'

'Because we're friends!' she said. 'And I haven't had anyone over yet.' _Except Takaomi. But he doesn't count, because he's a creep._

'I…I'm sorry, but I don't like going into the city. P-plus I have a lot of duties left unattended.' A pang of guilt in his stomach after seeing her disappointed expression made him stutter. 'Why don't you ask your neighbour?'

'My…neighbour? Well,' she shrugged. 'I guess.'

* * *

Mafuyu rubbed her hands up and down her arms, slightly shivering as cold gusts of wind assaulted her. _My neighbour. Yes, it was quite rude of me not to have introduced myself earlier, and now it's already been over a month since I arrived. I hope it doesn't feel awkward._

'L-Lady Kurosaki!'

The girl was jolted out of her thoughts by a breathy voice, and she turned around to see a Palace messenger jogging after her.

With a clumsy bow and trembling hands, he held out a scroll. She took it with caution. _Who would send me a message? Wait_, her face brightened when she saw the familiar crimson wax seal of the Royal Palace. _Is it Hayasaka? Is he coming to my house after all?_ She carefully unrolled the scroll, eyes running over the cursive writing and eyes widening as the words were digested.

'What'll be your answer, milady?' the messenger puffed.

'Uh…' she swallowed, her eyes transfixed on the signature at the bottom. 'Well, I can't refuse.'

'Very good, milady. Thank you,' he bowed again and scurried off.

_What is the meaning of this…?_ Mafuyu bit her lip. _Mother, I have a feeling that you may have to disown me…_

Her mood completely ruined, Mafuyu raised a hand and rapped on the front door of her neighbour's house, closing her eyes and sighing. She knew she couldn't put it off longer, lest she forget. _Please don't be home, please don't be home. I'm not in the mood to be hospitable…_

The door creaked open. 'What do you want?'

_What a greeting!_ Mafuyu opened her mouth to retort but froze. She knew that voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes. 'Ta…Ta…'

'Yes, ta-ta!' the man waved goodbye and went to close the door but her hand shot out with speed, slamming the door open.

'Takaomi?!'

'Mafuyu,' the advisor grinned down at her. 'What's wrong?' he chuckled.

'You live here? Since when?!'

'Uh, since before you moved here. Really, you didn't know? Goodness, Mafuyu, how dense can you get?'

Mafuyu's brain was working overtime. _That time, when he said his way home was the same as mine…and when he jumped out the window and disappeared…and when he dropped by when he felt like it…was all because he lived right next door?!_

'So, what do you want? You're letting all the heat out. Either come in, or get out.'

Mafuyu stormed into the house, her heart beating. _How could I be so stupid?!_ She berated herself with a slap. Takaomi merely stared at her with a raised eyebrow.

'Well, I originally wanted to invite my neighbour over for tea, but seeing it's you I've changed my mind…'

'Oh, don't be like that,' Takaomi leaned in close and Mafuyu could feel his breath on her cheek. 'I would _love_ to come over for tea, and dinner, and bed-'

'Enough!' Mafuyu spat, face red. 'There're other important things. I've received a letter.'

'So?'

'It's from the Crown Prince.'

Takaomi straightened, his eyes glinting with an emotion Mafuyu couldn't put her finger on. 'Well, what does it say?' Mafuyu hurriedly ran back to her home to retrieve the letter and handed it to him. '_His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Miyabi (last name) wishes to share an audience with the two current members of the Juvenile Guard: Sir Hayasaka and Lady Kurosaki,_' he read aloud. 'Tomorrow after lessons? I wonder why.'

'Am I going to get expelled?' Mafuyu clutched her dress; she was still in uniform. 'I don't want to leave Midori Ga Oka, not only because I'll get disowned, but…I kinda like it here now. I…' her eyes widened when she felt a hand on her head.

'Stop worrying about useless things,' Takaomi rolled his eyes and ruffled her hair. 'Tomorrow, bring Hayasaka with you and meet me in my office before you meet with _his Royal Highness_,' he drawled the last few words. 'I have something to give you.'

'Okay,' Mafuyu sighed. 'You're sure we're not in trouble?'

He grinned at her cunningly, winking. 'As long as I'm around, I'll make sure you're around as well.'

* * *

**Yes, I know that it was short….I'm very sorry. . Recently, a Hetalia (if you don't know what Hetalia is, look it up now. You're seriously missing out on this awesome fandom!) plot bunny has been digging holes in my garden, and I had to tend to that… So please, if you have the time, try my new Hetalia Pirate AU 'Hoist the Sails' and tell me what you think of it. It won't be a very long fanfic, and I know once that little plot bunny has been chased away, my Oresama Medieval bunny will begin bothering me again! Thank you again for your continued support. ^^**


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